


we are all fools in love

by fujifilms



Category: Gentleman Jack (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And so does Ann, F/F, anne lister as miss darcy... you know thats sexy, they ARE in fact acting in a lesbian pride and prejudice reboot thank you for asking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-03-07 16:29:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18876907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fujifilms/pseuds/fujifilms
Summary: “I- um- we met at a gathering my parent’s company threw a few years ago. You talked to me and my sister for an hour.” Ann said and cleared her throat.“Oh that’s right!” Anne said, “You wore the most flattering dress, blue I think.”“White, actually.”Anne laughed and took her elbow off of the railing to lean in closer to Ann. “Whichever color, it looked marvelous.”A Modern Gentleman Jack Actresses AU





	1. i have not the pleasure of understanding you

**Author's Note:**

> yes i'm writing a modern au about historical lesbians, no that's not weird, yes there will be more chapters, and yes absolutely this will be so much more extra. so like i watched a 20 minute sophie rundle interview and it was so cute i was like what if anne and ann are both actresses in british tv/theater and what if (redacted). also don't take this as like me writing a super weird story about the actresses in gentleman jack they're all completely separate i'm not that weird. thank u

Marian steeled herself, taking a deep breath as stared at the closed door in front of her. She rolled her eyes at the sound of muffled giggling and flung the door open, making sure to avert her view from whatever was happening on the bed.

“Jesus! Marian!” Anne yelped. The bed creaked from what Marian hoped was Anne dismounting the woman in her bed and covering herself with the duvet lying on the floor.

Marian stomped across the room, hurling the dark floor length curtains open. Light flooded the room, eliciting another pained groan from Anne.

“Is it safe to turn around?” Marian said. More rustling was heard for a few seconds before she heard Anne sigh.

“Yes, my dearest sister, it is safe to turn around.” Anne said mockingly.

Marian shook her head at the tone of Anne’s voice, turning around to see Anne leaning against the headboard and her companion completely underneath the sheet altogether.

“Mrs. Lawton, there’s no need to hide.” Marian deadpanned, hands tightly gripping the stack of magazines in her hands. “I am the least of your worries right now.”

Marianna Lawton popped her head from under the sheets. “What do you mean?” She startled when Marian threw the stack toward the center of the bed.

Anne quickly sat up, modesty forgotten once again as the sheet slipped down. “What the hell is this?” Marian rolled her eyes upwards towards the ceiling in irritation.

“Stop flashing me and maybe we can have a conversation.”

Anne jumped out of bed and hastily put on her pants and shirt, discarded on the floor from the night before. She paced the room, leafing through one of the magazines. “Anne Lister, _yet again_ preys on an innocent married woman and breaks apart a relationship. More-” She barked out a laugh, “More on page eight.”

Marian let out a heaving sigh and rubbed her face.

“Page eight, Marian. The death of my career and reputation, condensed onto a single page.”

“And whose fault is that, Anne?” Marian said, stepping backwards in order to sit down on the armchair in the corner of the room.

“I- wouldn’t sit there if I were you. We- uh-”

Suddenly, an inexplicably powerful migraine formed. Marian closed her eyes. “What exactly.” Her eyes snapped onto Marianna’s in irritation. “Are you still doing here.” It wasn’t a question. “Go home! Go back to your husband!”

Anne swallowed dryly and raised her hands placatingly. “Now- Marian, there’s no need-”

“How exactly do you think it feels walking into the supermarket to buy _eggs_ for breakfast and seeing my sister on the cover of every gossip rag in the goddamn country?”

Anne cleared her throat and glanced at Marianna. “I think it’d be best if you left right now.

 

* * *

 

Marian slammed the front door behind the retreating Marianna Lawton.

“You’re a real heartbreaker, Marian, I hope you know this.” Anne said, peeking out of the bathroom in a robe as she dried off her cropped hair with another towel.

“And who's fault is that.” Marian muttered as she took a carton of eggs out of the supermarket bag she had left on the counter.

“What was that?”

“How do you want your eggs, Anne.”

“I’m absolutely positive that’s not what you said but I’d love an omelette.”

“Coffee?”

Anne hummed in assent, taking the mug from Marian, and sat down on one of the bar stools across the counter.

“Can’t even get dressed for breakfast with your “dear sister”?” Marian asked. She began cracking eggs into a bowl.

“My heart is utterly broken, Marian, have some sympathy.” Anne said.

“Even my sympathy has its limits. I told you to stop bedding every unavailable woman in British television, yet here we are.”

“Yet here we are.” Anne said morosely. She took a long sip of coffee. “Again.”

“Settle down and stop creating scandals for yourself. you’ll be lucky if anyone hires you after this round.”

Anne rolled her eyes and put down her coffee. “Oh you’re much too kind.”

Marian jerkily folded the omelette in half on the pan and turned to look at Anne. “What else do you want me to say? This is how the media is going to react to your flings.”

“My _flings?”_

“Please don’t tell me you’re in love with Marianna Lawton.”

Anne scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. The second she married that man all chances of that flew out the window.”

“Well then stop putting your career at risk!”

Anne slammed her hand on the counter. “It’s not like I can help it! Vere- _she_ broke my heart!” She put her face in her hands and let out a shuddering sigh. “I’m too old for this.”

Marian put down the plate of eggs down and sighed. She rounded the counter and put her arm around Anne, rubbing her robed shoulder. “You’re going to find the perfect woman soon. I’m sure of it. Give everything time to die down.” She patted Anne’s back. “And for god’s sake, stop _sleeping_ with Marianna Lawton.”

 

* * *

 

Anne pulled the brim of her cap further down. attempting to shield her face from anyone who would recognize her. She just wanted to _walk_ to places, for god’s sake. London traffic was notoriously slow, and if there was anything that Anne Lister despised more than paparazzi, it was being slowed down. For this reason too, she left behind her security detail, John, at some crosswalk or another.

She let out a heavy sigh and minimally slowed her pace when she entered the sparsely populated park. This was partly due to the snow that dusted the ground from the night before. Anne stopped suddenly, brushed the snow off of a concrete bench, and lowered herself down. She kicked out her legs, knees straightened and the heels of her brogued boots touching the frozen ground. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket with an incoming call.

“Yes John, what is it.”

John panted from the other end of the phone and Anne winced a bit at the volume, pulling the phone away from her ear a bit. _“Where- Miss Lister- we’ve gone over this before-”_

Anne cut him off impatiently, “Just because someone’s attempted to attack me once-”

_“Three times, actually.”_

“Details.” Anne said and waved her hand dismissively in the air.

_WIth all due- due respect, Miss Lister, that’s more than enough of a reason for my services.”_

“But do you have to be so goddamn slow, John?”

John sighed. _“I’ll work on my cardio. Now, where are you?”_

“Hyde Park. By the East entrance.” Anne said, grinning when she heard John swear.

 _“That’s four miles away from where I lost you!”_ He swore again. _“I’m calling an Uber.”_

 

* * *

 

Anne scrolled through the news with detachment as she waited for John to arrive. She paused at a headline, the dark bold text burning across the screen of her phone.

 

**4 Dead. Walker Family Perish in Plane Crash. Survived By Daughter, Ann.**

 

Anne’s thumb hovered over the headline as she swallowed. She had met the Walker family, a few years back at a party they had hosted. All actors or producers, involved with the industry in one way or another. Anne had left the party early on the account of debilitating boredom, disguised as a headache. She squeezed her phone but quickly relaxed the muscles in her hand.

She pressed down on the headline. The family, excluding Ann, had been on a vacation somewhere in Italy. A private plane, an engine malfunction. Anne sighed and rubbed her temple with her gloved index and forefinger.

Which one was Ann again?

There were two sisters, both incredibly boring, both child actresses twenty something years ago. She wracked her brain. Ann Walker. Ann was the more successful of the two. Ann was the one who was still working. Theater, if Anne recalled correctly.

Anne blew a lock of hair that escaped her cap away from her eyes. How long does it take to travel four miles? Honestly. She looked at the time and stood up. She closed the article and hit the phone app to call John.

_“I’m almost there, Miss Lister.”_

“I’ve got a meeting with management in their offices at twelve. I need to start walking now if I want to make it in time.”

_“That’s basically where I just was! Miss Lister-”_

“I’ll see you there.” Anne said and hung up. She almost felt bad for John. If only he could keep an efficient walking cadence, she sighed to herself as she began her brisk pace back in the other direction.

 

* * *

 

“You've been usurped.” Samuel Washington said, clapping Anne on the back.

“What?”

“I was about to tell you off for your unfortunately public escapade with Mrs. Lawton, but you've been kicked off the throne of bad news today.” Washington said. He slapped down a copy of the same magazine Anne had been flipping through just the morning.

“I've seen this, Washington. What's your point?”

“You read this garbage?” Washington asked, taken aback for a moment. “I always took you as a GQ type of person.”

“Marian brought me a stack of this shite this morning.” Anne said, raising and eyebrow

Washington cleared his throat. “Right. Well. They're already issuing a reprint with the biggest news of the decade.” He reached into his back pocket, took out a rolled magazine, and handed it to Anne.

Anne unrolled it.

 

**Walker Family Dead In Italian Plane Crash.**

 

Washington watched her for a reaction. Anne didn't give him one. He cleared his throat. “They pulled your story from their site too.”

“I'm not celebrating this, Washington.”

“No but you should celebrate not losing your job.”

Anne's eyes snapped up to meet his. “Was it really that bad?”

“Strike three. Wasn't up to me, the higher ups were going to void your contract.”

“The Rawson brothers?”

“You know I can't say.” Washington sighed. “But next time don't seduce any of your boss’ wives.”

“I did none of the seducing! If anything those women seduced m-”

“You took them to Greece and then posted _extremely provocative_ pictures of them on the beach to your _extremely public_ Instagram account.”

Anne scoffed. “It was completely platonic nudity. What does the media call it? Gal pals?”

Washington roughly rubbed his hand across his face. “You’re lucky they only wanted to fire you, Lister. Because right now I want to strangle you.”

“Platonically, I hope, Washington. You know I don't swing that way.” Anne said and then paused for a second in faux thought. “Though, I'm not sure how you knew I like that from a few Instagram pictures-

“Lord, Lister! Stop! I don't get paid enough for this-”

The door opened and Anne clapped delightedly. “Oh, John! There you are! Took you long enough!”

 

* * *

 

Anne untied her boots and took them off at the door. Her overcoat was removed, put on a coat hanger and into the closet by the door. Her sweater came off next. She untucked the thick button up from her trousers and slung the sweater over the backrest of her couch as she made her way across her large apartment. She could afford a larger house off in outskirts of London but the apartment, whenever she wasn't galavanting off in other countries with beautiful women, was a source of pride for her. The property belonged to her family for generations and she saw to make sure that it reflected the hard work she had sunk into it and into her work as an actress.

Although she hadn't been a proper actress for quite a while. Maybe a few supporting roles over the years, but nothing that spoke to her. Nothing that took her as she was. She didn't want something that required her to completely change how she looked, make her into something she wasn't. Maybe she should look into theater.

Anne poured herself two fingers of bourbon and sat down on her couch, slinging her arm across the back of it. She tapped the ring on her index finger against the glass as she thought.

Perhaps Marian was right. Maybe she should settle down. Find her own wife, not someone else's. And why not where she already had a home and connections. British television was in an upswing, successful even in America, where she had frequented in Hollywood for roles over the years. Anne took a sip of her bourbon and tapped her ring against the rim of the glass again.

Well that's that.

 

* * *

 

Ann Walker was at a funeral. More specifically, Ann Walker was at her Mother, Father, Sister, and Brother’s funerals. It could've been her funeral too if she hadn't been working at the time. A funeral, split four ways. Ann didn’t know if her grief could be split into four ways. She could barely conceive this amount of grief directed one way.

They had her standing in the front of the crowd. As if she needed to make an even bigger show of the fact that her entire immediate family had just died at once. One of her aunts invited the television stations. No one asked her if she wanted to be filmed crying at the front of the crowd. It was assumed that if she could do it four nights a week on stage, she could do it for one hour for the cameras.

Ann was an ugly crier. She knew this. When she naturally cried out of sadness of grief, her face contorted and turned bright pink. A boy in elementary school told her she looked like a pig when she cried. So Ann learned the art of the single tear for her first acting job the next year.

Her family was dead and all she could think about was how ugly she looked when she cried. So naturally, Ann cried harder. The priest was saying something. She really couldn’t hear it over her crying. She watched the empty caskets lower into the ground. They were empty because there was nothing to be retrieved from the crash site. Ann knew this but she wished there was something in there that signified that something was being put to rest.

Ann was driven home in a black town car once the funeral was over. Ann didn’t leave her house for a month after the funeral was over.

Ann stopped acting after the funeral was over.

 

* * *

 

The only people that went to Ann’s house were the maids, cooks, and her aunts. Her aunts used to trickle in every single day. Maybe in pairs, maybe all at once. One day all seven of them visited her individually one after the other. Completely unplanned.

Now that it had been a few months, she maybe saw one of them every week. Usually on a Thursday for some reason. Like it had been agreed upon. Ann didn't do anything regardless and didn't particularly enjoy their company but they were her family. She didn't feel like she had much family to spare after the funeral.

The maids and the cooks avoided Ann if possible. She often wondered what was written about her in the magazines and online. Probably that she was losing her mind. Ann didn’t have enough evidence to refute that anymore.

 

* * *

 

It was Aunt Rawson's turn to visit Ann this Thursday, unfortunately. Her visits usually consisted of telling Ann how much of her life she was missing out on. As if Ann didn't already know. Her therapist Dr. Kenny told her as much in his own way just the other day.

“It's been over a year, Ann. You need to leave the house.” Aunt Rawson said, looking at Ann with pity.

“I know Aunt Rawson.” Ann said, as she had the entire visit, feeling as though her soul was physically leaving her body.

Trying not to roll her eyes, Ann watched her hum and take a sip of her over sugared tea. “The Priestleys are throwing a party. For some sort of new project of theirs. Eliza Priestly wants you there.” Ann was apparently past the point of being asked and was now being told.

Ann sighed. “Alright. When is it?”

“Friday at ten. Who knows, you might get an offer out of this. You were a wonderful actress.” Aunt Rawson said and smiled primly.

Ann swallowed down the bile in her throat and gave Aunt Rawson a smile, being the wonderful actress that she is. “Of course.”

Aunt Rawson's smile grew wider and she nodded to herself, clearly convinced that she changed Ann's life for the better with the suggestion to go to one party. “Try to find yourself a husband, too.” She threw in, just for good measure. “You're not getting any younger.”

 

* * *

 

Anne adjusted the collar of her shirt, smoothing downwards and tucking the bottom into her trousers. She carefully pulled on a blazer and checked to make sure everything was in order before going to the door and pulling on her boots. The Priestleys had elected to hold their gathering in a hotel ballroom for god knows what reason, but that meant that Anne didn’t have to call for a car. She wanted to clear her mind before taking part in any festivities.

The industry was neutral on the subject of Anne Lister, but only to a certain point. And Anne had crossed that line the first time she openly had a series of relationships with women. Anne put on her overcoat and gloves and locked the door behind her. The hotel was a thirty minute walk and Anne had the feeling she could make it there in twenty-five.

 

* * *

 

The bartender handed her a glass of water, as per Ann’s request. She refused to allow these people see her drink and lose any sense of control over herself. She already knew what they were saying about her. The last thing she wanted to do was to ugly cry in front of anyone at the Priestley’s party. So, she took a sip of her water.

Ann took a step towards where most of the gathering was happening, no doubt around the Priestleys themselves, but backtracked and sat down at one of the sparse amount of tables lining the dark room. Ann took another sip of her water and took out her phone. She only looked up to turn in her seat when she heard a commotion towards one of the entering guests. A tall woman. Ann squinted, too dark in the room and too far away for her to recognize.

At this point, hundreds of people filtered in and out of the ballroom, from the dancefloor, past Anne, onto the large balcony area that overlooked the city. Ann really just wanted to go home.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Ann stood up when she realized it was Eliza Priestley herself.

“I didn’t know you were here! I was looking for you!” She said, voice loud in order to be heard over the noise of the ballroom.

“Aunt Rawson told me you- wanted me to come!” Ann said, internally wincing at the way her voice halted a bit at her attempt to carry to Mrs. Priestley.

“Yes, yes. Be sure to stay for the announcement of our production! How are you doing?” Mrs. Priestley asked.

“Better- I’m- thank you.” Ann swallowed. “What’s the project-”

Mrs. Priestley cut her off. “Have you met Anne Lister before? She’s fresh off a theatrical run of Hamlet- playing Hamlet! I think you two will get along splendidly!”

“Yes, we met years ago though. And I doubt she remembers me.” Ann said.

Mrs. Priestley regarded Ann for a moment and inclined her head as a signal to follow her towards the balcony area. Ann took a deep breath of the crisp air the second they walked out. She felt as though she was decompressing; the stifling pressure of the party contained in the ballroom being released into the outer world. Ann felt like she could think more clearly.

“Oh, that’s much better.” Mrs. Priestley sighed. “my energy just isn’t what it used to be.” She said, winking at Ann. They made their way towards the railing, where a tall woman in an overcoat was standing.

Ann choked on her breath when she turned around at Mrs. Priestley’s call. The woman’s gaze was direct, looking only at Mrs. Priestley as the two walked up to her.

“Anne Lister,” Mrs. Priestley began, smiling when Anne inclined her head in response. “Ann Walker here tells me you two have met a few years ago.”

“Ann Walker- yes-” Anne’s gaze tore itself away from Mrs. Priestley and she blinked in surprise when she looked at Ann. “How could I forget?”

Ann swallowed nervously and wished she still had her glass of water from earlier. She fiddled with the hem of her dress, watching with surprise as Anne’s eyes caught the movement and lingered for a few seconds before trailing back up to meet her gaze. Ann felt the back of her neck heat up from embarrassment. Of course she had caught her inability to sit still.

“I- um- we met at a gathering my parent’s company threw a few years ago. You talked to me and my sister for an hour.” Ann said and cleared her throat.

“Oh that’s right!” Anne said, “You wore the most flattering dress, blue I think.”

“White, actually.”

Anne laughed and took her elbow off of the railing to lean in closer to Ann. “Whichever color, it looked marvelous.”

Mrs. Priestley laughed and rubbed Anne’s shoulder. Ann had honestly forgotten she was still standing there, and so did Anne by the way she jumped at the contact. “I knew you two would get along famously- stay until midnight, that’s when we’ve got our announcement.” She winked at the both of them and made her way back into the ballroom.

Anne and Ann looked at each other a few seconds later. Anne was the first to begin laughing. Much to Ann’s horror, she was a close second.

 

* * *

 

Anne found herself leaning closer to Ann Walker. If anyone asked, it was to hear her soft voice more clearly. She slapped herself internally and tore her gaze away from Ann’s lips.

“...my aunts. Dr. Kenny says I should get out more too.”

Anne tilted her head. “Dr. Kenny? That quack?”

Ann furrowed her eyebrows, “What makes you say that?”

“Untrustworthy. He sells out his clients to the highest bidder online.” Anne leaned in closer. “Have you noticed anything you’ve said in confidentiality pop up on the internet?”

Ann shivered, perhaps from the lack of her coat or the knowledge she had just received from Anne. She looked up to see Anne shedding her overcoat. “What are you-”

“You’ve been shivering all night, Miss Walker, don’t think I didn’t notice.” Anne said and put the coat on on Ann’s shoulders.

“I- yes. I didn’t think I’d be out on the balcony. My coat is at the coat check.” Ann said, pleased at the warmth the coat was giving her. Ann’s breath hitched when Anne pulled the lapels of the coat closer together. “I must look quite ridiculous-”

“Nonsense. You look wonderful.” Anne said softly. “Are you still cold?”

Ann couldn’t suppress her smile. “No, not quite as cold.”

“But still cold?”

Ann laughed embarrassedly. “Just my hands really. Made the mistake of touching the metal railing.”

Anne hummed and removed her gloves, gesturing for Ann to allow her to put them on her.

“Won’t you be cold?”

“I’ve got a high tolerance.” Anne checked her wrist watch. “And I think I can last a few more minutes until the _announcement.”_ She said dramatically.

Ann suppressed another shiver when Anne began to put the first glove on. One finger at a time, starting with the index. The leather of the glove, although thin enough to feel Anne's gentle touch, was warm and insulating. The heat of Anne's hand remained and encased Ann's. Anne rubbed the back of her hand when she finished putting on the second glove.

“I never said- I know it's been a year but your parents and siblings were wonderful people.”

Ann looked up to see Anne's eyes looking sadly back at her, though not with pity like she had feared. Ann swallowed a lump in her throat, focusing on the feeling of Anne's thumb sweeping back and forth across the back of her hand. “I- yes. Thank you.”

The sound of the doors opening and closing as people left the balcony area and made their way into the ballroom splintered the moment. Ann looked towards the ballroom. “Do you know that the announcement is about?”

Anne laughed. “Of course I do. I'm one of the leads.”

“I- what?”

“Why do you think we were introduced?” Anne asked. Ann floundered, for lack of a better word. “They wanted me to spend the whole night recruiting you but I always prefer a good conversation.”

Ann took a small step back. “I don't know if I can yet-”

“I know. That's why I wasn't going to coerce you into anything you didn’t want to do. You can leave now of you'd like, I know someone who can sneak you out without the Priestleys seeing.”

“No- I-” Ann froze, trying to find the words she wanted.

“Lord, am I making you uncomfortable? I can just head in-”

“No-no… Anne I- I _want_ to- I’ve seen your work I _want_ to work with you…” Ann said, feeling frustrated with herself being unable to express how she felt.

“But?”

“It’s too soon. I think- I-”

Anne took Ann’s hand again and rubbed her thumb across her knuckles soothingly. “It’s alright. Ann, you don’t have to worry. You don’t have to do anything you don’t feel ready for.” She smiled at Ann. “I’d still love to talk to you though.”

“I- yes. I’d like that.” Ann said.

Anne reached into her pocket with her other hand and took out a receipt from her front pocket and a fountain pen from her jacket pocket. Ann watched her jot down her number, using the metal handrail as a surface to write on. She handed Ann the thin piece of paper, ink still drying.

“I’m going to head in. John over there in the corner can show you out if you like.” Anne said, inclining her head to the blond man leaning against the handrail about twenty feet away. “He’s a retired boxer.” She said, lowering her voice. “Too many knocks to the head can really slow one down, so I hear.”

“Heard that, Miss Lister.”

“Damn it, John.” Anne said and smiled when she saw Ann stifling a laugh.

“I may or may not see you inside.” Anne waved over her shoulder, walking through the doors of the ballroom. “Be sure to return my coat to John once you get yours back if you decide to leave!”

And with that, Anne Lister left Ann Walker on the balcony. Which was the best thing she could’ve done. Ann was faced with a real decision completely up to her choosing for the first time since the funeral.

She didn’t know it at the time but she was already completely in love with Anne Lister. Which is why she turned towards the doors and resolutely followed Anne into the ballroom.


	2. my temper i dare not vouch for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i am posting another chapter one day later. thank u for continuing to read this!!

All of the confidence Ann had mustered up in the minutes since Anne had left her on the balcony melted away the second she stepped through the doors of the ballroom. The glass door swung closed behind her and she immediately pressed her back to its cold surface, felt even through the thick woolen overcoat that Anne had rested on her shoulders. She pressed her gloved hand to her rapidly beating heart when she realized the music had been turned down for the Priestleys’ announcement at the front of the ballroom, where an ornate stage with thick, red velvet curtains was sitting.

An arm gently slung over her shoulder startled her, hand rubbing soothingly over her left arm.

“I didn't know if you'd come in.” Anne said softly leaning close enough for her breath to move some of the flyaway hairs Ann had tucked behind her ear earlier in the night. She felt Anne's warm fingers gently move the hair back.

“Y-yes.” Ann breathed out, barely audible to the sound of the people crammed into the space.

Anne hummed and looked down at Ann curiously. “You're not what I thought you'd be like.”

“What do you mean?” Ann asked, catching herself before leaning in closer to Anne's body heat.

“In a good way, Miss Walker. You've surprised me. Not many people have that pleasure.” Anne said. She gently squeezed Ann's arm. “Shall we head towards the front?”

Ann nervously licked her lips and looked up at Ann. “You know, you never told me what exactly the project is.”

“Oh? I thought I did. Silly me.” Anne said, clearly enjoying herself. She quirked her eyebrows at Ann and began directing them towards the front of the ballroom. Anne took her arm off of Ann's shoulder but was quickly halted when Ann grabbed her hand.

“I need to know before- oh Lord-”

Anne looked at her sympathetically and leaned closer to Ann conspiratorially, giving Ann the impression she was being let in on a gigantic secret. “It's a Pride and Prejudice reboot. Mrs. Priestley saw you in that crime television show a few years ago on Channel 4 and thinks you'd make an excellent Elizabeth.” Anne paused and sighed, “But you've been so hard to reach this past year. This was her last go at you.”

Ann startled with surprise. “A- historical- I've never done anything like that.”

“You'd be surprised at how similar they are to us today.” Anne said, trying to stifle a laugh. Ann felt as though she was missing some sort of inside joke. “You're perfect for the role. I'm sure of it now.” She tugged on Ann's hand, still gripping her own.

“I don't-”

“Trust me, Miss Walker. If I didn't believe in the success of the project, I wouldn't have signed on.”

Ann let out a breath. “Okay. But- who are you playing if it isn't Elizabeth Bennet?”

Anne laughed as they finally made their way to the front of the ballroom. Ann just noticed that Mrs. Priestley was speaking into the microphone, and seems to have been for quite a while.

“... retelling of the classic. The BBC has signed us on and hopefully our cast can bring Jane Austen's vision to new heights.” Mrs. Priestley said, smiling when the crowd of people clapped uproariously. “Although our final cast will not be finalized for a few weeks we are _very_ proud to say that Anne Lister will be playing the role of Miss Darcy.”

Ann's head swiveled to look at Anne beside her in shock. _“Miss_ Darcy?” Her voice almost completely lost to the sound of the crowd's reactions.

“About time, don't you think?” Anne winked and used a hand to catapult herself gracefully onto the stage. Ann stood frozen, watching Anne shake hands with Mr and Mrs. Priestley before waving to the crowd.

“Lord…” Ann whispered to herself, but couldn't help but imagine Anne Lister in the darker regency fit, favored by those who have played Mr. Darcy over the years. She found herself smiling at the thought. Anne was very well suited for the part: stiff collar, cravat, and all.

 

* * *

 

“Well, what do you think?” Mrs. Priestley asked, after she had pulled Ann aside after the announcement.

Ann blinked at Mrs. Priestley. “I'm not sure how good of an Elizabeth Bennet I'd be- honestly-”

“Nonsense.” Mrs. Priestley said, waving her hand as if in dismissal of the very thought. “This is the perfect role for you, of course we'd have to dye your hair-” She stopped for a moment in thought, “Or maybe not. I'm getting ahead of myself, I apologize. Are you interested in the role?”

“Yes- I- yes.” Ann found herself nodding, despite her reservations. “I'd love to work with Anne Lister-”

“Anne, yes. I don't believe any of what's been said about her by the media. I do have a feeling you two would be a perfect match onscreen. Although Anne was resistant to the idea or casting you.” Mrs. Priestley said. She handed Ann her card. “Have your management call me tomorrow to set up a meeting.” She took Ann's hand and shook it. “I'm so glad Anne convinced you to stay.”

Ann smiled lightly and found herself very tired all of a sudden. “Thank you Mrs. Priestley.” She pocketed the card when Mrs. Priestley turned to return to the rest of the party.

Resistant to casting Ann? She leaned against the wall for a moment, passively watching people dance and laugh and drink. What had she just agreed to?

She turned towards the coat check and slipped off Anne's coat a bit roughly, balling the leather gloves and stuffing them into one of the front pockets. She took her own decidedly less warm coat from the clerk and made her way out of the party and back home.

 

* * *

 

Ann Walker never called Anne Lister. The receipt with Anne's number was never thrown away, but was balled up a few times, ink beginning to crack on the paper. Ann did however, meet with the Priestleys and officially signed on as Elizabeth Bennet. For some reason the receipt was still in her pocket.

Ann scrolled through Twitter with disinterest, waiting for a car to pick her up from the Priestley production offices and back home. Her public account was run by her management  (and minimally) but apparently a part of her new contract was to take the reigns a bit and interact with her costars and fans eventually. Ann wasn't too keen on the idea; she didn't have anything very interesting to say and preferred to keep her thoughts private. Quite the opposite of Anne Lister apparently.

The woman regularly posted about her trips abroad, wrote thoughtful articles about current events, and _constantly_ argued with people online. Ann had no idea how she could have that much energy online and physically. Just scrolling through Anne's Twitter feed gave Ann a dull headache.

A notification popped up.

**@annelister followed you**

Ann turned her head to look behind her, suddenly feeling as if Anne was standing there the whole time. She shook her head at herself mumbling about paranoia and hit Anne's profile to open it up. Ann, naturally, had been following Anne for years, probably for as long as Anne had an account. Ann bit the corner of her lip nervously at the thought of Anne knowing about how closely she followed her work over the years.

Another notification popped up.

**@annelister mentioned you in a tweet**

Ann froze for a moment before pressing down on the notification with her thumb. She furrowed her eyebrows at the tweet.

 **anne lister:** @AnnWalker ;)

“Jesus…” Ann whispered and then barked out a laugh. Working with Anne will definitely be interesting. Within seconds, a wave of followers and mentions flooded Ann’s notifications. Some confused, some angry, and some were inexplicably implicating a relationship between herself and Anne Lister. “What did in the world did I just sign up for?”

Without taking her eyes off of a particularly raunchy tweet from a new fan, Ann felt for the receipt in her pocket. She screenshotted the tweet, trying her best not to let her face heat up too much, and sent it to the number meticulously written onto the receipt.

The response was almost instantaneous.

 **Anne (11:16):** _Is that a promise, Miss Walker? Shall I set a meeting time for when to “ravish you spectacularly”?_

Ann cleared her throat embarrassedly and took a sip from the water bottle in her bag. Another text came in while Ann was still attempting to conceive of an answer.

 **Anne (11:20):** _I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I can always tell the fans to calm down with the language._

 **Ann (11:22):** _I’ve seen the twitter fights you get into. No need for that. I’ve just never been in any sort of speculative relationship before._

Ann put her phone in her pocket when her car arrived. As the driver opened the door, she felt her phone buzz with an incoming call. She knew it was Anne before even looking at the screen.

“Yes?”

 _“Well hello to you too, Miss Walker. Where are you right now?”_ Anne said. The sound of the wind from outside made her voice sound a bit muffled, perhaps due to a hand shielding the phone microphone.

“I’m being driven home now from the Priestleys’ office.” Ann took another sip of her water and swallowed a bit roughly. “Why?”

_“I’d like to meet for coffee- tell your driver to take you to Shibden Cafe. I think you’d like it. It’s close by.”_

“Alright.” Ann put her hand up to get her driver’s attention and pulled the phone away from her ear a bit. “Shibden Cafe, James.” He nodded to her and she put the phone back on her ear.

 _“Splendid. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Public, so there will be no spectacular ravishing.”_ Anne paused, the sound of a bell hanging over a door being the only sound for a few seconds. _“Unless you want there to be.”_ She said lowly.

Ann gaped for a few seconds. “Unless- Anne Lister! Jesus.”

The sound of Anne laughing travelled through the phone, loud and clear. _“You must think I’m a terrible speculative girlfriend, don’t you.”_

“I- could do worse.” Ann said weakly, hanging up when the sound of Anne’s laughter and the  embarrassment became too much.

 

* * *

 

“Took you three weeks to contact me.” Anne said and tapped the pad of her index finger against the rim of her drink.

Ann glanced at her as she took her coat off, taken aback and raised an eyebrow. Anne looked away from Ann, feigning interest in the small cup of espresso sat on the table in front of her. She gently slung the coat on the backrest of the seat and sat down across from Anne in the small circular table in the corner of the cafe.

“Well hello to you too, Miss Lister.” Ann said, calling back on the first thing Anne said to her on the phone barely twenty minutes ago.

Anne coughed embarrassedly and drank her cup of espresso in one go. Internalizing the wince of pain from the still too hot drink. She missed Ann's eyes following the movement and tracing down the length of her neck before nervously looking towards the line at the counter.

“Have I made you upset or uncomfortable in any way?” Anne asked gently, “I'd like to clear the air before we start working together.”

Ann turned to look back at Anne, her eyes slightly pleading. Ann tapped her foot against the floor nervously. “No- I thought you might be cross with me.”

“Cross? Why would I be cross with you?” Anne asked, tilting her head curiously and leaning forward slightly. Her eyes zeroed in at the nervous lip bite and she quickly averted her eyes.

“You- I-” Ann breathed in and took a moment to compose herself and her thoughts before continuing, “Mrs. Priestley told me you were resistant to hiring me. I was afraid you didn't actually like me.” Ann said and sighed heavily. Anne watched her shoulders droop slightly. “People often pretend to like me for one reason or another.”

Anne reached across the small table and took one of Ann's hands into her own. “I'm not cross with you. I've never been cross with you.” She traced Ann's palm with her thumb. “I wasn't pretending to like you. I enjoy your company. I'm sorry you were under the impression that I disliked you. I wasn't familiar with your work.”

“It's nothing like yours-”

“You're a wonderful actress, Miss Walker. Yes, I have a loud stage presence, but you have a subtlety about your method that I couldn't even dream of having a grasp of yet.” Anne said, gently tracing her finger up to Ann's wrist. Ann’s breath stuttered at the contact. “I did some research before the party and I think we can learn a lot from each other for these parts.

Ann let out a shaky breath. “Alright.”

“Alright?” Anne asked, leaning back in confusion. “Just like that?”

“Oh, be quiet. Buy me a pastry and don't make me regret signing on.” Ann rolled her eyes, immediately missing the the warmth on Anne's hand when she let go.

“Ah, a woman after my own heart.” Anne laughed and leaned back in her chair, uncrossing her leg and purposefully bumping her foot against Ann's. She watched Ann jump slightly at the contact and smiled to herself. A very interesting development indeed.

 

* * *

 

Anne tiredly rolled off of the woman in her bed and propped herself up against the headboard, taking her phone off of the bedside table and scrolling through Instagram.

“This is the last time- I swear. I'm ending things with Henry-”

Anne cut off Catherine with the wave of a dismissive hand, still not looking at her. “I don't care, honestly. Just as long as this doesn't get out.”

The silence was tense but Anne ignored it in favor of looking up Ann Walker and scrolling through her posts. A lot of animals and seaside photographs. A little boring but cute. 

“What are you looking at that's more important than me?”

Anne rolled her eyes and tried not to groan. “Many things. The ceiling, the artistic wrinkles of the duvet, the nothingness of the black void that is your personality… Do you want me to go on?”

“Jesus Christ, Anne, what's gotten into you?” Catherine snapped but then softened at the look that Anne threw her out of self preservation. She sighed. “This doesn't have to be the last time, if you're in such a poor, sad state over me,” She rubbed Anne's stiff shoulders. “Let me return the favor, Anne.”

Anne ground her teeth but found herself nodding anyways. Catherine kissed the edge of her jaw and Anne found herself relaxing slightly. Physical intimacy was something familiar to her. Second nature. She closed her eyes as Catherine descended, scraping her teeth against Anne's pulse point.

Her phone buzzed in the slack grip of her left hand.

“Ignore it-” Catherine said lowly and bit down slightly.

The phone buzzed twice more in rapid succession. “Just-” Anne held up her hand placatingly, “It might be important- one second.” She stared with horror when she realized she never locked her screen. She liked a post made by Ann Walker from four years ago on Instagram. A picture of her in a swimsuit with a couple of friends on the beach. Another notification popped up that the top of her screen. From Ann. She sucked in a breath.

“What is it?” Catherine asked worriedly, sitting back.

“I-” Anne read the messages. “Oh fuck.”

 **ann ;) (01:19):** _Why exactly did you like a post from 4 years ago_

 **ann ;) (01:19):** _Do you want me to delete the comment you made? “afsfgjjdksjaahg” sounds like nonsense_

 **ann ;) (01:20):** _I looked it up. Are you saying what these people are implying?_

 **ann ;) (01:20):** _If not please ignore that actually. That's really embarrassing._

 **anne ;) (01:23):** _I'm going to shut up now, I probably made a mistake..._

“What?” Catherine took the phone out of Anne's hands, read the messages and dropped the phone onto the duvet with disgust. “Please don't tell me you're texting Ann Walker.”

“What?” Anne looked up with alarm at Catherine.

“She doesn't swing that way- actually she's never been in a relationship as far as I can tell.” She said, pushing Anne's damp hair back from her forehead. Anne jerked back slightly.

“How do you know this?”

Catherine laughed, “We're cousins. Grew up together in Halifax.”

Anne took a frustrated breath and closed her eyes. “You couldn't have mentioned this any time earlier?”

“As if you haven't already slept with two other members of my family.”

“What?”

“Rawson- that's my maiden name, Walker was just Ann's father's surname.”

“Lord…” Anne groaned, “I get it! Your family connections are a web throughout all of British television and theater and probably the government. They should really pass out family trees, I need a fucking map-” Anne caught herself before she really went on some sort of unstoppable rant. She took a deep breath. “I'm sorry but I should really reply to these messages.”

Catherine scoffed, “And that’s why this is _definitely_ the last time I’m dropping by.” Anne watched passively as Catherine huffed around the room picking up various articles of her clothing and angrily putting them on. She slammed the bedroom door after herself and a few seconds later, Anne heard the front door slam.

“What a tragedy. You shall be sorely missed.” Anne said monotonously and unlocked her phone again in order to respond to Ann in an attempt to glue together the shreds of her pride and console the other woman.

Other woman, Anne scoffed to herself and shook her head. Future coworker. Friend perhaps if she was permitting. A little flirting wouldn’t hurt anyone but Anne would have to control herself in the future. The Priestleys may be the only people in the entire country willing to give Anne any role on television, let alone such an iconic one. She really fucked her way through any other options. If all went well, Anne could continue living in London and truly settle down as she had been planning.

Anne moved her normally pushed back hair with her other hand off of her forehead, allowing herself to see the screen more clearly. She bit the inside of her cheek and typed out a response.

 

* * *

 

Ann woke up with a start at the sound of her phone buzzing right next to her ear. For five blissful seconds she couldn’t remember the messages she had sent Anne. Groaning into her pillow, Ann wished that amount of time lasted much longer. Her phone buzzed a few more times, indicating more messages, probably from Anne.

Another loud groan into the pillow before rolling onto her back and grabbing her phone to look at the messages. She steeled herself for the worst.

 **Anne (01:49):** _Caught in the act! I was scrolling through your posts and accidentally kept my phone unlocked after putting it down_

 **Anne (01:50):** _Sorry for the comment, another casualty of my carelessness. Clearly it led to some serious googling and inner turmoil. But I stand by the definition and elect that it remain undeleted_

 **Anne (01:50):** _;)_

Ann let out a disbelieving laugh and dropped her phone back down on her bed. Absolutely ridiculous. She had no idea what to expect from this woman. She’d never had this many conversations outside of work with a costar- let alone one she hadn’t even begun working with to begin with. Mrs.Priestley was right- they were a good match. Hopefully the chemistry would translate on screen. Ann sorely hoped she wasn’t making a mistake by returning to acting.

She rolled onto her side and tucked her arm under her head. She picked up the phone and typed out a suitable response.

 

* * *

 

**@AnnWalker mentioned you in a tweet**

Anne let out a laugh and opened the notification.

 **Ann Walker:** @annelister Good night ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> extremely self indulgent i KNOW but the idea of anne lister playing miss darcy would NOT leave my head and i think it's hilarious to have a modern au but they're ACTORS so they're acting in the time period canon actually takes place in. absolutely ridiculous and yes i did write this chapter just to have them text each other. why even have a modern au if they're not texting and publicly tweeting things they couldve texted


	3. till this moment i never knew myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took a little while to update but!!!!! here she is. dialogue for their show stolen directly out of the tattered edition of pride & prejudice i checked out from my library. *blows kiss to the sky* this one's for you jane austen.

Ann swallowed for the, most likely, hundredth time as she sat frozen, phone in hand as Youtube’s autoplay steadily skipped on to the next video of Anne Lister onstage. It had already been two hours since she settled down on her couch, wine glass empty except for the few glistening drops that were beginning to dry and stick to the bottom.

She watched, completely unable to move, unable to blink as Anne commanded the stage, gesturing wildly as she paced from one side to the next. Her voice rang throughout the theater clearly. Powerfully.

Ann had almost forgotten why she was so enthralled by Anne Lister, but seeing her onstage solidified the fact.

The more modern take on Hamlet that Youtube had decided to bring to her attention showed Anne flaunting the stage in a fitted suit, not unlike the one she wore at the Priestleys’ party. Only she looked more disheveled, probably due to the amount of vigor flowing out of her performance. Passion drained energy and Ann knew this well. Ann swallowed roughly and yearned for more wine as she watched Anne lash out on stage as Hamlet and kill Polonius. She watched the rage flow out of Anne as she yelled at Gertrude for failing to see Claudius’s behavior as suspicious. The madness she channelled as she interacted with the ghost Gertrude could not see, nor hear-

She quickly pressed on her phone’s power button and watched the screen fall dark. She took in her flushed appearance in the dark reflection of herself on the screen. Ann took a shaky breath and dropped her phone onto the couch with a groan. Apparently one glass of wine was now more than enough to make her red in the face. She walked over to her kitchen, picking up her wine glass in order to rinse it before the drink had stuck to the glass too much.

Anne had somehow managed to draw her into a story that normally bored her to tears. Ann had seen the play many times with her mother and father while they still ran their production company. Usually every twist and turn that the story conjured was tiresome and expected. Anne Lister breathed new life into the story. At least for Ann.

The tap water filled the wine glass to the brim before spilling over a blush colored liquid down the drain. Ann mindlessly ran a soapy sponge across its surface, suddenly glad that she had decided to move into a small flat near the filming location. Despite the multiple offers for a large home to stay in by the Priestleys (much like the one she was living before previously), Ann found that she enjoyed living in a space where she utilized every single part of it. She had even refused the offer for a maid and a cook, opting instead to rely on herself. Ann found that it gave her a reason to stay busy, a reason to stop fretting over the impending doom that would probably be the first table read the next morning.

The glass she was furiously cleaning almost slipped out of her hands.

Ann closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. She put the glass on the drying rack by the sink and shut the water off. Tomorrow the truth would come out; her acting would fall flat in every single scene in comparison to Anne's. They would have to find a new actress in her stead and Ann would _really_ be left with nothing.

 

* * *

 

The sound of Anne's pen tapping against her script was the only sound echoing through the room. Well, that was mostly due to the fact that Anne had arrived about half an hour earlier than scheduled. She wanted to observe the cast as they entered the room. What the were like and if they were agreeable.

Anne certainly wasn't there half an hour earlier to watch Ann Walker when she walked into the room. To take in her nervous laugh and find her eyes from across the room. To watch her slowly approach Anne, as if afraid of startling her and jokingly asking her, "Is this seat taken?" as she gestured to the empty seat right next to Anne's with a little card on it where _Elizabeth Bennet_ was written.

She certainly did not feel her heartbeat quicken when Ann's gentle perfume overwhelmed her senses at the proximity.

Anne was ambivalent towards Ann Walker. Lukewarm at most.

She crossed her leg over the other, misjudging the closeness of her knee to the table and hitting it with a startling sound. A soft hand was comfortingly rubbing her knee before she could even wince with pain.

"Oh, Lord- Anne are you alright?" Ann asked, hand continuing to rub, as if trying to chase away any lingering pain from the hard contact. "I hate it when that happens."

Anne was immediately at a loss for words at the warm contact. When she finally got ahold of herself, she gave Ann a weak smile. "Of course, Miss Walker." She watched with amusement when Ann's face colored with a pretty blush when she realized her hand had lingered for too long.

"Sorry-" Ann squeaked as she jerked her hand back away from Anne's knee. "I'm just," She huffed a little in exasperation, "a little nervous."

Anne ignored the heat spreading up her leg from the contact and let out a chuckle despite herself, raising her eyebrows. "I couldn't tell."

"Oh, shut up, Miss Darcy."

"Very ladylike, Miss Bennet."

Ann let out a disbelieving laugh. "I can be very ladylike, I'll have you know."

"Hmm… And I get the feeling you can also be very unladylike when it suits you." Anne said, grinning at Ann.

"Oh-" Ann slapped Anne's shoulder and laughed. "And that's where you diverge from Darcy."

"What are you implying? Maybe this iteration of Darcy will be written as an outrageous flirt. Who knows what they've got in store for us in this series."

Ann scoffed good naturedly and leafed through the script pages in front of her. Episode one and the ground they had to cover seemed immense. And the amount of screen time Ann had. Oh, Lord. Ann felt the anxiety rise in her.

"Miss Walker, are you alright? You've gotten a little pale-"

Ann spun her head to look at Anne in a fit of panic. "What if I'm not what they want."

"What-"

"What if they fire me on the spot. Oh god-"

Anne let out a breath and covered Ann's wringing hands with one of her own. "You're a perfect fit." She squeezed the hands in her own. "Stop thinking so poorly of yourself. All week I've been in a fluster over this table read with you."

"Wait, really?"

"Well, yes. I watched the entirety of Bodyguard over the course of a day and haven't stopped thinking about it since."

Ann let out a surprised laugh. _"You've_ been watching my work?"

"Of course I have."

"I've watched every bootleg video of Hamlet on Youtube last night."

Anne covered her face with sudden embarrassment. "Please don't tell me it was the one where someone heckled from the crowd and I jumped off the stage to fight him."

"No- _what?_ I'm looking that up immediately."

"Oh, Lord. Please don't-" Anne said trying derail Ann's typing by trying to grab at her phone.

“You can’t bring something like that at _not_ expect me to look it up-” Ann said as she struggled to keep to phone out of Anne’s reach.

Someone clearing their voice in the center of the circle the tables were arranged in cleared the voice. “Don’t make me separate the two of you.” Mrs. Priestley said, looking at the two of them much like a school teacher scolding her students would.

The two of them quickly snapped back into a normal seating position. A few curious glances from the other actors greeted Anne as she swept her gaze across the room, ignoring any lingering embarrassment. Ann, on the other hand, was doing her best not to spontaneously combust and sunk down in her seat. Anne gave Ann’s hand a reassuring squeeze under the table.

“I’m very glad everyone could make it!” Mrs. Priestley said, continuing onwards as if nothing had happened. “First table reads always excite me. I love seeing the final cast properly come together for the first time.” She smiled at a few of the clearly newer actors fidgeting in their seats. “And it’s always a blessing to be able to see stars become realized in the process.” Mrs. Priestley paused as her eyes swept the room again. "I'll be the one running the show for the most part and Mr. Priestley will be directing from here on out." She tapped her pen against the script in her hands with a finality.

"We'll just start reading through the scripts, I'll narrate as necessary." Mr. Priestley said. It was probably the most Anne had heard him speak without his wife interrupting.

 

* * *

 

The story strayed a bit from the source material, but as was expected. Mr. Darcy was now a woman and they had eight episodes to fill, each an hour long. Anne was glad for these changes, it allowed more time for the characters to develop on screen and for more creativity with the story's interpretation.

Anne could feel the nervous glances shot her way from Ann as the cast progressed through the first episode. Anne hadn't spoken yet, for she only made an appearance at the very end of the episode.

Everyone was getting a feel for the material and the pace of the writing, stopping often and making notes where Mrs. Priestley made an addendum to the script. Ann looked more frazzled every time she had to make a change to her parts. Anne looked on with sympathy; Mrs. Priestley constantly changed her writing, even up to the final take. Anne only endured it because at the end of the day, the product was always worth the trouble.

Anne knew her part was coming, she could feel Ann tensing increasingly the closer their scene together came. The air in the room seemed to respond to the tension between them. The other cast members seemed to notice and found themselves moving less and leaning in closer to watch the scene unfold.

The actor for Mr. Bingley began to address Anne. Anne pushed her script aside. "Come now, Darcy. I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing by yourself in this stupid manner." He looked up from his script and at Anne pleadingly. "I must have you dance. Look- female couples have already began to partake."

Anne found her lips curling into a distasteful smile. "I certainly shall not. You know how much I detest it, unless I am," Anne cleared her throat, " _particularly_ acquainted with my partner." She pushed down the urge to smile when Ann huffed out a laugh next to her. A flirt, Darcy shall become. She soldiered onwards, allowing her role to take over once again. "At such an assembly it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

"I would not be so facetious as you are for a kingdom!" Bingley's actor said but paused to make note in a change of tone by Mrs. Priestley to be more outraged. He continued, "Upon my honor, I have never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty."

“You are dancing with the most handsome girl in the room," Ann said glancing around the room searching for the actress playing Jane Bennet before winking at her. The actress immediately turned red at the attention, much to Anne's delight.

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and dare I say very agreeable." He said and raised his eyebrows at Anne with a hopefulness.

Anne swept her eyes throughout the room, "Which do you mean?" She froze when she caught Ann's eyes and looked away coldly, turning back to the other actor. "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men _."_

With Elizabeth staring at Darcy with disbelief, the scene between the two of them ends.

Ann let out a long breath. She watched the warmth flood back into Anne's eyes as she finished acting out the scene. She raised her eyebrows at Ann amusedly.

Well, that was really something. Anne Lister really made the perfect Darcy. She realized the rest of the cast was also making that realization, room completely quiet once more.

"Well, how was that?" Anne asked as she leafed through her script, ignoring the tension. "I'd like to change the phrasing of how I say "other men", more of an emphasis on _men,_ more directly alluding to a distaste, if you will." She looked up at Mrs. Priestley when she hadn't responded. "Well?"

"Yes- yes, I think that would add more dimension." She said, looking at Anne with a less than subtle amount of pride. She turned to Ann to have her continue the last scene with the actress who played Charlotte. Both of them seemingly rushed through just to finish the read after watching Anne give such a convincing performance on the first day.

 

* * *

 

Mrs. Priestley clapped her hands together when they concluded the reading. "Wonderful. More incredible than I ever imagined on paper." Mrs. Priestley looked at Anne meaningfully and then swept her gaze through the room. She smiled, happy at what she was looking at. "Keep working, we start filming over the next week. Costume fittings are in two days."

People began chatting and filtering out of the room. Anne turned to Ann and grinned at her. "You're a marvelous Lizzie. I almost really believed that you hated me when I said you weren't _handsome enough to tempt me."_

"I actually do hate you. An incredible deal right now. Ridiculous." Ann said and laughed. "Poor Delia looked like she was about to faint when you winked at her."

Anne laughed and took her jacket off of the backrest of her seat and slipped it on. "That's just a skill of mine, women swoon at the sight of me."

"Of course they do." Ann said flatly but found a blush rising up her neck when Anne lent a hand to help her put her coat on.

"My delicate sensibilities really can't stand being trodden upon like this." Anne said dramatically and handed Ann's script to her.

"Delicate? Don't make me laugh. Nothing phases you." Ann said and started walking towards the exit, blinking with an almost elated surprise when Anne held the door open for her.

"Things phase me, of course they do, Miss Walker." Anne said as she pressed the call button for the elevator. "I'm just rather good at ignoring it." Ann looked up at Anne just in time to see a sad smile on her face before it was replaced with a more reassuring one.

"Oh, I suppose I'm just accustomed to all of my emotions showing whether I like it or not."

"That's what makes you a good actress. When you believe the scene, your emotions follow suit. I've noticed that about your work."

They stepped into the elevator. Ann had just noticed that they were the only ones. "I- thank you."

"Of course." Anne said and pressed on the button for the lobby. She licked her lips nervously and glanced at Ann.

Ann found the space between them inexplicably tense all of a sudden. It almost felt like heat was radiating off of Anne. Ann fidgeted in place, shifting from one foot to the other, the only sound in the space being the small clicks every time they passed a floor.

Before Ann could stop herself she let out a breath, "Will you- can you come over to my flat tonight?"

Anne let out a choked sound and immediately cleared her throat. "Yes. Yes, of course."

"For," Ann winced at herself, "dinner? A drink?"

Anne quickly nodded. Ann heard her suck in a breath before asking, "What time?"

The door opened with a dinging sound, noises of chatter and cars driving by flooding the once quiet and intimate space. The two of them startled at the intrusive sounds, barely reigning a hold of themselves and walking out of the elevator.

Ann spotted her car idling by the sidewalk right outside the building, James's hands visibly tapping on the wheel inside. Anne held the door open for her again, the cool air nipping at her heated skin. She turned to look at Anne before getting in the car.

"Nine. Nine o'clock."

 

* * *

 

Anne sat stunned on a bench in the park across the street from the Priestley's building. She ran through their exchange in her head over and over. Did Ann know she was flirting back? Was this a date?

No.

_No._

Anne should approach this with the worst case scenario in mind. Dinner between coworkers. She wanted to go over their short scene anyways.

A gust of wind blew through her jacket as if it wasn't there. She shivered slightly and zipped it up, pulling the gloves from one of the pockets out and slipping them onto her hands.

A notification buzzed on her phone.

 **ann ;) (18:41):** _Here's my address, I'll see you in a few hours! Pick up some wine, I'm cooking :)_

Anne smiled at the message and pocketed her phone. After a few blissful seconds she groaned and put her head in her hands when she realized how she was acting. _"God_ I want a wife." Anne rubbed a tired hand across her face and stood up from the bench. She shook her head and made her way to the liquor store down the street for some wine.

Keep it professional.

 

* * *

 

Anne was not keeping it professional. She was barely holding herself together at the sight of Ann, changed into a different brightly colored dress with a tomato splattered apron draped over it. Barefoot and looking utterly domestic. Anne had to physically lean on the door to stay upright.

"Come in! You brought wine, thank _god."_ Ann said and ushered Anne in, taking the wine. Anne watched her make a beeline for the kitchen area and search for a wine opener.

"Very cute flat." Anne said as she took her coat off and hung it on the coat rack by the door.

"Aha-" Ann said triumphantly when she found the wine opener started screwing it into the bottle's cork. She looked up at Ann. "You know, I can never tell when you're being serious."

"I'm always serious, Miss Walker." She untied her boots and slipped them off. She walked over to the kitchen, passing behind Ann and towards the cupboards. "Where do you keep your wine glasses?"

"Left cupboard, bottom shelf."

Anne hummed, "Easy access. I see."

"Whatever you're implying, stop implying it. I'm a perfectly respectable five foot five." Ann said and handed Anne the opened bottle. She moved to the stovetop to continue mixing, what looked like some sort of pasta dish. She turned off the gas and moved the pot onto the counter.

Anne poured two glasses of wine. "I'll be sure to stick these on the top shelf when we're done so your perfectly respectable self can have even easier access." She handed one of the glasses to Ann.

"Stop insulting my height or you won't get to eat my attempt at Italian food."

Ann took a sip of her wine and deliberated for a moment. "I'm retracting all previous statements that may have caused distress."

"So every interaction with you." Ann laughed as she plated the steaming pasta for Anne and herself.

"Now why would every interaction with me cause distress? I've been a perfect gentleman. Why even keep me around?" Anne said, lowering her voice and reveling in the blush the rose up Ann's neck. She watched her remove her apron, revealing the way the rest of the dress flowed down her body.

In a completely professional manner, of course.

Ann passed cutlery to Anne and put the plates down on the small two person dining next to the kitchen. The two of them sat down. Anne looked at Ann who was still trying to formulate an answer. "I feel drawn to you." She settled on and picked up her wine glass. Anne watched her take a long sip.

"In a good way I hope."

"Yes." Ann said simply and picked up a fork to begin eating. Anne stayed frozen for a second before following suit.

Anne decided to give an exaggerated moan at the taste of the first bite. "Just absolutely _orgasmic."_ She jerked a bit when Ann's foot came into contact with her shin. But was more surprised by the fact that her foot fell to rest on Anne's own, pressing down lightly.

"Tell me what you actually think." Ann said, looking up slightly nervously from her wine glass. "I haven't cooked since- well in a long time."

Anne sobered at the statement and smiled reassuringly. "Really delicious. I haven't had a good proper home made meal in a while."

"Oh good." Ann said as she mimicked the motion of wiping sweat from her forehead. "I had to call a restaurant for these tomatoes- of course I chose to cook something ridiculously out of season."

Anne took another bite of her food held back a laugh in order not to choke. "You're nervous."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, why would you be?" Anne countered.

"You're Anne Lister! An incredible actress- talking to _me-"_

"You do realize, you're more famous than I am." Anne said amused at the turn the conversation took.

"No- I'm not!" Ann said, eyes widening.

"Child actors that remain successful and star in multiple hit television shows are definitely more famous than ageing stage actresses."

"You're- shut up."

Anne let out a laugh and continued to drink her wine. The foot atop her own pressed down harder. "What? You have triple my follower count."

"That's not-" Ann cut herself off in frustration. "I've been obsessed with your work since I was fifteen probably and saw you on television-"

"What?" Ann asked in disbelief.

"Don't you remember the day we met a few years ago? I spotted you on the driveway outside our house and I raced after you to invite you in. God, now that I say it out loud you're probably thinking how silly I looked."

Anne let out a breath. "Yes, yes, that party. But don't be ridiculous. All I can really remember is thinking how-" She stopped for a moment and smiled at Ann, "animated you looked."

Ann looked at her with wide eyes. Anne cleared her throat and picked up the wine bottle, refilling Ann's glass when she nodded her head.

 

* * *

 

 

They had moved onto the couch. Ann pressed comfortably against the arm with her knees tucked under herself, while Anne sprawled with her legs propped outwards, leaning in towards Ann.

Anne being the absolute maverick of romance that she was, decided to jump right into the heart of the matter when the conversation gave her the opportunity.

"Have you ever fallen in love with anyone?" Anne asked, voice lowered as she looked up at Ann with soft eyes.

Ann looked at her with shock and stuttered for a few seconds, "No."

"Well I suppose you wouldn't have a reason to tell me if you had-

"Have you?" Ann said, cutting in.

Anne clicked her tongue at Ann and let out an amused breath. "I asked you."

Ann felt a flush rising once again. "Good Lord, how did we get onto that." She said, laughing.

"Have you never thought about it?" Anne asked, continuing the line of questioning despite herself.

"Of course I have." Ann said as she sighed. "Not much opportunity for me though."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Have you?"

"Fallen in love?" Anne asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Ann nodded, finding herself leaning in closer to hear Anne's answer.

"Yes."

"Who-"

"Someone who was ashamed of me." Anne said and sighed. "But, I find myself thinking…" She trailed off and sighed again.

"Thinking what?" Ann asked, still enraptured.

"Thinking I could fall in love with you."


	4. one word from you shall silence me forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was TRULY a blast to write i hope everyone enjoys it just as much. also the ending of episode 7? oh my god.................

_"But, I find myself thinking…" Anne trailed off. Her sigh filled the charged silence between them._

_"Thinking what?" Ann found herself asking, voice scarcely above a whisper._

_"Thinking I could fall in love with you." Anne said softly and looked into Ann's eyes once again._

_"I- I don't-" Ann gasped out, mouth suddenly dry at the revelation. "What do you mean?"_

_She watched Anne lean closer to her and brush a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. She shivered when Anne's fingertips lightly touched her jaw before falling back away. Ann's eyes fell to the motion of Anne gingerly biting at her bottom lip-_

A sharp pricking pain shook Ann out of her reverie. "Good Lord!" She looked down to see the seamstress apologetically wincing and pulling back a hand with a pin held in it

"Sorry, Ann." The woman said and quickly retreated to the other side of the trailer where her bag was.

Ann sighed, "It's alright, Rachel. I'm not usually this jumpy- you just surprised me."

Rachel hummed and riffled through her bag. "Something on your mind?"

"Just- nervous about filming." Ann stuttered. "Haven't filmed in a long time." She said, trying to remove all thoughts of Anne Lister from her mind.

"Well," Rachel said, returning back to Ann with a small piece of chalk, "I'm a massive fan and I'm really glad to see you back. It's always rewarding to return to what you're passionate about!"

"Oh-" Ann said surprisedly and flushed a bit at the attention. The overwhelming heat coming from the space heater in the corner of the room probably didn't help. A few sweating refreshments littered a table on the other side of the trailer. "Thank you, I appreciate you saying that."

"Of course-" They both paused when a knock sounded at the door.

"My tailor informed me that there were more refreshments in here-" Anne's voice sounded muffled through the door. Ann felt her heart jump into her throat. "Can I come in?"

Before Ann could utter a word, Rachel replied with a, "Yes! Come in!" She gasped and turned to Ann excitedly, "Isn't she playing Miss Darcy-"

The door opened. Ann watched as Anne froze slightly at the sight of her before quickly averting her gaze. Her hand moved upward to pull the tall collar away from her neck absentmindedly. Almost nervously. Her sleeve, slightly too long, was adjusted at the wrist with a pin. She cleared her throat. "Thank you…"

"Rachel- Rachel Howard. I went to see Hamlet opening night!" Rachel said as she stepped forward excitedly. She extended her hand to shake Anne's.

Anne plastered on a smile and took Rachel's hand, bowing slightly as she brought the back of it to her lips dramatically. "A pleasure, Miss Howard."

Ann stood frozen, watching as Rachel giggled at the display. Ann's eyes took in Anne's costume; her black vest, tight across her torso, over a flowing white dress shirt. A cravat hung loose around her neck where a high collar touched the pushed back hair at the nape of her neck. Slim black trousers, rolled and pinned at the ankles for alteration, and black leather boots completed the look.

They had truly brought the idea of Miss Darcy to life. Ann felt herself flush harder for some reason.

_"I don't know what you mean- I mean I've never-" Ann stuttered nervously and looked down at her lap._

_"Been with a woman?" Anne asked quietly._

_Ann could feel Anne shift away slightly at her hesitation to speak. "No! Well, yes, but I- it's not that- I-"_

_"Have I overstepped the mark? God- I've offended you, haven't I." Anne said, horrified at herself and began to move back._

_"No! No. You haven't." Ann choked out, reaching quickly to grab onto Anne's forearm._

"... it's so  _warm_ in these trailers, they really ought to stock up on the refreshments." Anne sighed, her knowing eyes meeting Ann's from across the trailer. Ann swallowed at the way Anne's gaze smoldered the longer she looked at her as she talked to Rachel.

"God, I know, but these trailers have to be pumped with heat or else they become cold enough to rattle your bones. Not ideal when you're getting into your skivvies. Hopefully spring will decide bless us with agreeable weather in time for filming." Rachel laughed as she passed a bottled water to Anne from the refreshments table, completely unaware of the silent exchange between the two other women in the room.

_Ann was surprised at herself for her outburst. It was almost as if something had taken ahold of her. "I just- I've never-" She paused for a moment and took a calming breath. "You haven't offended me." Her thumb moved on its own accord, sweeping comfortingly against the sleeve of Anne's shirt._

_"Then what's troubling you?" Anne asked, but shook her head quickly. "You don't have to answer that, I-"_

_"I just wouldn't know where to start. With romance. That- sort of thing." Ann breathed out, blush dusting her cheeks when she saw Anne's gaze involuntarily drop to her lips._

Anne's eyes slowly took in Ann's figure; tracing from her legs, up the length of the dress, and lingering on her neck, the gaze almost feeling like a physical touch on Ann's skin. Their eyes met once again. Ann took a shuddering breath when she could see how dilated they had become, even from the distance between them.

_"I'd really like to kiss you." Anne said, and looked down at Ann's other hand, nervously plucking at the hem of her dress. She looked back up at her. "Can I? Kiss you, I mean."_

Rachel was gesturing with her hands, "...I mean- this work is so exciting! I got a history degree along with my fashion one so I feel like I'm putting it to good use now."

Anne's eyes flickered onto Rachel before returning to Ann. "Yes, it's always nice finding something you're _passionate_ about."

_Ann could feel herself moving closer to Anne, as if drawn to her by a magnetic force. She could feel Anne's breath, quickened by the proximity, puffing against her lips. Almost like a caress. Ann's eyes fluttered a bit at the thought of softly pressing her lips to Anne's, to feel Anne's hand come up to gently cup her cheek._

_To press her fingers more firmly into the muscle of Anne's forearm, to drag her nails up to her broad shoulders._

_To deepen the kiss, to straddle her hips, to unbutton her shirt-_

Ann blew out a breath, feeling nervous energy build in the pit of her stomach. She shifted on her feet from a sudden bout of discomfort. She winced when she felt a pin prick her while rolling her tensed shoulders.

"I was just talking about that with Ann!" Rachel said enthusiastically. "You two have met, right?" She shook her head at herself, "Of course you have. For the table read, right?"

"Yes- the table read." Ann found herself breathily repeating, her eyes still not leaving Anne's.

"Had you two known each other before? I heard you have incredible chemistry- through the grapevine of course-"

"No." Anne said and paused for a moment. "We hadn't." Her eyes left Ann and moved onto Rachel. "The table read was the first time we met." She turned to the door and opened it, stepping outside. A small gust of cool air pierced through the trailer. Ann felt a shiver rip through her. More from Anne's response and hasty exit than the wind blowing in from outside. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Rachel, but I should really get back to my fitting. Harry will have a conniption-"

"Oh you're right- Harry'll kill me for keeping you this long. Nice meeting you, Anne Lister!" Rachel called out behind Anne before shutting the door. She turned back to Ann and grinned. "Just as nice as everyone says- think I can give her my number at the end of the day?"

Ann looked up from the ground and shakily smiled, "Don't see why not." Her voice weak, barely heard over the whirring of the heater.

_"I-" Ann let out a shallow breath and found herself jerking her hand away from Anne's arm, surprised by her thoughts. "I don't think I'm ready for that-"_

_"Right." Anne leaned back on the couch and sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment. "Right. That's okay."_

_"No, I really like you, but..."_

_"But?" Anne rubbed her forehead tiredly and grabbed her glass of wine off of the small side table by the couch. "Not like that?"_

_"That's not what I mean- I just- I can't wrap my head around it." Ann tried explaining._

_"No, no. It's quite alright. I didn't-" Anne's voice broke off, "I didn't mean to embarrass you. We can talk about something else or I could just go-"_

_"No, no- please don't go," Ann said, feeling frustrated, "I- I do have very warm," She furrowed her eyebrows, "tender feelings for you. I just don't understand-" Ann found herself freezing up at the thoughts that raced through her head._

_"You don't have to explain, it's alright, Ann." Anne said reassuringly and took a sip of her wine, averting her gaze from Ann's. "We could just go over one of the scenes-"_

_"I just never thought of myself in that way." Ann said and began to pick at the hem of her dress a bit faster._

_"Oh." Anne's voice turned downwards in disappointment. "I see." Her voice had an edge to it, one Ann had never heard from her before._

_"That's not what I meant-"_

_"Let's just move past this, shall we?" Anne said with a finality, standing up from the couch and towards the script lying on the corner of the kitchen counter._

 

* * *

 

Anne carefully raised her hand to rub at her forehead, pain building after her interaction with Ann. She had no idea the effect she had on Anne; just one flushed glance almost had her on her knees. For a multitude of reasons. God, what had she become? For fuck's sake!

"Not much longer, Miss Lister." Harry said, marking the last of his measurements in a small notebook. "I just want to double check so we don't have to go through this again if something doesn't fit quite right."

"Understandable." Anne said and smiled lightly at Harry. "A migraine is just currently assaulting me, unfortunately."

He looked at her with sympathy and closed his notebook. "Your first costumes should be adjusted by next week, when filming starts." He moved back to his bag and put his things away while Anne went behind a screen to undress and put on her regular clothing. "You can stay in the trailer for a bit longer if you like, you were the last fitting scheduled here."

Anne buttoned up her shirt and tucked it into her trousers. "Thank you, Harry." She walked out and gingerly handed the costume to him to put in a garment bag along with the others she had tried on.

She sat down on the small loveseat in the far corner of the room and let out a breath as she closed her eyes. She nodded her head when Harry bid her goodnight. Her head fell into her hand, elbow propped up on the arm of the loveseat.

The pounding in her ears grew when she thought back to the dinner with Ann. "Never thought of herself that way." Anne scoffed.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call and she groaned. Marian again probably. For the fifth time this hour, regardless of the fact that she had told her she would be indisposed. She jabbed at the ignore call button with annoyance. A text immediately came through.

 **nuisance (19:51):** _Anne, for god's sake. Family dinner in half an hour!!!! John Abbott and his mother are coming._

 **nuisance (19:51):** _If you don't come I'm killing you, I don't care what the papers will say_

Anne groaned and hit the power button on her phone. She groaned louder when a few more texts came in.

 **nuisance (19:52):** _Anne, respond, I swear to fucking GOD_

 **nuisance (19:52):** _I won't stop until you say you're on the way_

 **nuisance (19:53):** _ANNE_

Anne's head lolled back against the backrest of the loveseat. Apparently it was impossible for one moment of rest when her sister existed.

 **anne (19:54):** _ALL RIGHT. i'm leaving… jesus, marian_

She sighed in defeat as she sat up, clutching at her pounding head. She'd have to stop at a drugstore for ibuprofen. And cheap alcohol to make it through the night. Anne sent a text to Booth to pick her up at the parking lot and pulled on her boots, lacing them up.

 

* * *

 

Anne sat at the table, completely tuning out the endless dull chatter that Mr. Abbott felt the need to assault everyone with. Even his own mother looked like she was ready to lose her mind.

"... of course, I'd never go outside of England, can't trust anyone out  _there_ really- If anything, I'd be perfectly happy to stay in the countryside with a few kids and pooch or something like that."

"Of course you would." Anne sighed. Her aunt shook with silent laughter as Anne filled her glass with cheap whiskey under the table.

"What was that?" Mr. Abbott asked blandly, looking in Anne's direction.

Before she could stop herself, Anne decided to speak. "Of course you'd never want to leave England. You're as dull as they get." Anne winced when Marian kicked her from underneath the table.

"Now," He sighed, "What makes you say that." His tone of voice had a slightly patronizing edge to it. Anne clenched her jaw and poured herself more whiskey.

"Are you quite sure you want to go down this route? I was more than happy to keep drinking this disgusting cheap whiskey with Aunt Anne here, while tuning out your tedious attempt at conversation." Anne sighed before taking a long drink of her whiskey without losing eye contact with the man.

"Now- Anne-" Marian started but was cut off by Mr. Abbott yet again. Anne had lost count at the amount of times he had done that, honestly.

"No, no,  _Petal._ I'd like to hear what she has to say."

Anne held back a laugh at the nickname and grinned when Marian swore under her breath. She took a slow sip of her drink and set the glass down, looking at Mr. Abbott. "Mr. Abbott, do  _you_ find yourself an interesting man?"

"Well, of course I do." He sighed impatiently.

Anne hummed thoughtfully. "And Mrs. Abbott," She turned to look at his mother who was watching the exchange with a poorly hidden elation, "Do you find your son interesting? A good conversationalist?"

"Well," She said, leaning forward as if letting everyone in on a big secret, "I've been telling him to work on that character of his since he was a boy. Didn't stick. A talker not a listener, this one."

Mr. Abbott snapped his head to look at his mother in outrage. Anne leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Now as thrilled as I would normally be to continue this," She let out an amused breath,  _"particular_ conversation, I've had my fill of dinner. And your mother really just about summed up our experience here tonight. I've got places to go, people to see, et cetera, et cetera." Anne said, taking the napkin off of her lap and putting it on the almost full plate in front of her.

She slid the half-full bottle of whiskey to her aunt. "Don't have too much fun," She said as she pecked her cheek on the way out of the dining room, ignoring Marian's noisy protests. Anne grabbed her coat from the coat rack by the door and revelled in the sound of all of the noises from inside the house being completely shut out once she closed the heavy wooden door behind herself.

 

* * *

 

John Booth was leaning up against the car, the last bit of a smoldering cigarette hanging from his lips as he scrolled through his phone.

"So this is what you do when you're on put on hold, hm John?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, cigarette dropping and phone hastily shoved into his pocket.

Anne laughed, "Now, now, don't be pulling a weapon on me, that's the last thing I need right now."

John groaned and hung his head in anticipation for the worst. "I'm not gonna get a verbal lashing, am I?"

"No, I've given quite enough of those over the past few days." Anne said and sighed. "Marian's boyfriend is truly one of the daftest people I've ever met."

"He wanted to pay me to fight him. Recognized me from my old boxing days." John said and leaned back against the car. He fished the pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. He flipped the pack open and offered one to Anne.

Anne took one from the pack and leaned in to the light he held up. She took a drag of the cigarette. "Did you take the money?"

"Obviously not, didn't want to accidentally kill him."

Anne hummed and took another drag. "Shame."

They stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Smoke drifted up from the pair, becoming more apparent in the night when it passed by one of the lamps set up in the back lot of the driveway. John pushed the gravel on the ground with the toe of his boot, creating a straight line on the ground. "How good's your French?"

"Very good." Anne said, dropping the butt on the cigarette onto the ground and stepping down on it to extinguish it. "Why do you ask."

"Teaching self defense to this French actress on weekends. Eugénie something or other. Motions and pointing work well enough for the lessons but, well-" He cleared his throat embarrassedly.

"Oh. I see... You want to romance her." Anne said, clapping John on the shoulder gleefully.

"Why'd you hafta use that word? I just want to get to know her better. Hard when she keeps yelling gibberish at me." He groaned.

Anne took her phone out of her pocket. "I've got an old colleague, a French teacher, down by Kensington. I can put in a good word for you."

"What- really?"

"Don't make me change my mind." Anne said and sent over the number.

"Thank you- but why're you doing this?"

"Honestly, John? If you can speak French, I can take you on as my security detail when I travel to Paris."

"You like me that much?" John asked, looking at Anne with surprise.

Anne looked at John and gave him a dry smile. "Your rates are half of what they charge in France." She opened the door of the car and sat inside, door slamming after her. John jolted at the sound.

"Half of what they- fucking hell." John scrambled to the other side of the car and sat inside. "Miss Lister- about my rate-"

"Drive me home, John. I'm  _much_ too intoxicated for this conversation." And with that, the partition between them slid up.

John hit his hands against the steering wheel. "Fucking hell." He started the car and stared out the window for a stunned second. _"Fucking Frenchmen."_ He whispered and pulled out of the long driveway.

 

* * *

 

Ann paced her flat, the diminutive size, normally a comfort, now only felt oppressive and claustrophobic under these circumstances. Her stomach felt like a ball of nervous energy. She thought back to Anne's heavily lidded gaze, the one she gave her when she was leaning up to look at her from the very couch in her flat. Blinking slowly, taking her in. Eyelashes long and dark against her cheeks, a loose strand of hair hanging over her brow. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this. Ever thinking these thoughts.

Was Ann always interested in women? Had she just ignored it? Put her feelings into a tightly locked box and forgotten about them for all these years?

She let out a heaving sight and flopped down on her stomach, face down into the couch pillows. What else had she missed? She thought back to her secondary school years. Rebuffing all of those stupid boys. Spending all of her time with her friend Claire.

Watching the sunlight reflect off of Claire's auburn hair when they took a day trip down to the coast for a beach day. Blushing when she poked fun at the freckles that would dust Claire's cheeks if she was outside for too long. Lathering sunscreen onto her hands and down her back, exposed by the racerback cutout of Claire's one piece swimsuit. Feeling her heartbeat in her throat when her palms touched her warm skin and slid down along the nodules of her spine to the two dimples, barely visible above her swimsuit at the small of her back.

Two thoughts trickled into her head, one after the other:

One, why was she thinking about her married friend Claire, who had three children and a nice husband at a time like this? She'd been one of her bridesmaids for crying out loud.

And then two,  _Oh god._ She'd always felt this way.

Ann felt like crying. How long had she been ignoring this?

Ann picked up her phone nervously before throwing it down again on the couch. She rubbed a hand across the surface of the couch, the very place where Anne had been sprawled out on, not even 48 hours earlier. She barely held herself back from pressing her nose to where Anne had leaned her head against the backrest.

How long does the smell of a shampoo transfer even last?

Not very long, Ann confirmed barely a second later. She threw herself back against the armrest of the couch. Acting like a schoolgirl with a crush! Next thing she knew, she'd be leaving notes asking Anne if she still fancied her back.

Check yes, yes, or  _absolutely_ in the allotted box.

After that conversation, it was a wonder Anne even looked in her direction. Much less held eye contact with her for such a long period of time. The image of Anne in her Darcy costume was seared into Ann's brain. Every time she so much as blinked, she saw broad shoulders, a black vest tight against a muscled back, a hand reaching up to loosen a tall shirt collar. A black cravat loose against her throat, moving slightly when Anne took a sip of her drink.

Ann put her face in her hands. She could feel the warmth radiating off of her cheeks. Was this what a proper infatuation felt like? She had no idea what to do with the uncovered information.

And more importantly, how was she supposed to fix the mess she had inadvertently created between Anne and herself?


	5. have a little compassion on my nerves, you tear them to pieces

The rehearsal before filming Ann's first scene was already a complete disaster. Ann could barely focus with Anne standing just off to the side of Mrs. Priestley. And the _noise_ \- god she had forgotten how much happened on set during filming. She couldn't remember her lines. She _knew_ her lines but she _couldn't remember her lines._ Ann clutched at her stomach in panic, the rough fabric of her dress feeling scratchy against the palm of her hand. Why wasn't anyone quieting down?

"Ann! Ann? Are you sure you're alright?" Mrs. Priestley called at her. Ann glanced in her direction just as Anne quickly averted her gaze from her. She felt like sobbing.

Ann took a deep breath. "It's just- I'm a bit overwhelmed." Her voice scarcely heard over the noise of the cast's chatter and the crew adjusting the equipment.

A loud whistle sounded from Anne's lips with two fingers formed into a circle. Ann jolted a bit at the shrillness and volume. "Everyone _shut up_ or leave." Anne said with a low voice over the suddenly quiet set. Somehow it was more terrifying than if someone had yelled. Anne Lister could be terrifying when she needed to be. The only sound was the wind picking up outside, slightly shaking the glass windows of the small house. "Have some goddamn respect." Anne muttered and walked out. A few other nonessential castmates froze, before slowly making their way outside as well, glancing at Ann guiltily as they exited.

The air already felt lighter. Ann let out a breath.

"Well, thank the Lord for her," Elizabeth Cordingley, the actress playing Mrs. Bennet, leaned in and whispered loudly to Ann. She winked before returning to her mark.

Ann felt her face heat up. Yes, thank god for Anne Lister.

Filming went more smoothly after that incident.

 

* * *

 

 

Ann was the last to walk out of the house for her break. To her surprise, she found Anne leaning up against the side of it, idly smoking a cigarette. She watched the smoke slowly drift up from her parted lips.

"Should have already quit a while ago," Anne sighed and gestured to the lit cigarette. Ann felt her heart skip a beat when Anne glanced at her from beneath lidded eyes. "I don't like being under the control of any particular vice."

Ann swallowed dryly and took a much needed sip from her water bottle. "I didn't even know you smoked."

"Only when the situation calls for it. I think I'll quit after this one." Anne said and flicked the built up ash from the end. She looked at Ann, actually meeting her eyes for the first time that day. "How did filming go?"

Ann bit down on the corner of her lip distractedly as she watched Anne wrap her lips around the filter of the cigarette before taking a slow drag. "It's- I- Good." Ann said and wrung her hands together a bit. "I hope." She added on after a moment.

"Can't believe they let that many people onto the set." Anne said under her breath.

"Thank you- for that." Ann said, "I felt like I was suffocating."

Anne looked up, her eyes making contact with Ann's once again. The amount of tenderness in them surprised Ann. "I'm sorry you even had to experience that on your first day back filming."

Ann swallowed and looked down. "It wasn't anyone's fault- I- maybe I'm just too fussy-"

"You shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable during any point of filming." Anne cut in firmly, but not unkindly. "I'll raise hell if something like that ever happens again." She caught Ann's embarrassed eyes again and smiled.

"Thank you." Ann said, feeling herself blush at the sight of Anne's smile. Her heart felt like it was about to jump right out of her chest. She took a deep breath. It's now or never. "I- about the other night-"

Anne put up her finger apologetically. "Sorry, sorry- Lord, one second. My sister is calling." She let out a long suffering sigh, "Again." She flipped the phone around to show Ann as the word _nuisance_ flashed on the screen.

Ann choked back a laugh.

"Hold that thought, will you?" Anne said, squeezing Ann's arm lightly as hit the answer call button.

Ann found herself nodding, even as she felt all earlier courage whoosh out of her body in one go. God what a mess, she thought morosely. She still felt warm from the smile Anne had thrown her way not even a minute earlier. She looked over at her, back facing Ann as she gestured in an increasingly annoyed manner as her conversation continued.

"I'm _not_ apologizing, Marian!" Anne said, her voice on the cusp of whining. "I don't care what he told you- he deserved it- No, _no-_ Marian- don't bring that up." Anne spun around, just in time to see Ann's attempt at suppressing an amused smile. She rolled her eyes and raised her free hand up in exasperation. "I understand, but- no! Just break it off! He doesn't deserve you- _wait what?"_ Anne said, voice raising in worried confusion, "Repeat that last part- oh Lord-"

Ann watched as Anne threw a hand against the outer wall of the house in panic, as if her knees were about to buckle underneath her.

"Please tell me you didn't say yes, Marian." Anne said slowly, shock still written all over her face. "Be supportive? You're throwing your life away to a man who doesn't see your worth!" Anne's hand flew up to clutch her forehead. Pain looked like it was physically manifesting. "Please- Marian-" Anne pulled the phone back from her ear in shock and looked up at Ann. "She hung up on me."

"What's happened?" Ann asked, putting her hand on Anne's arm in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

Anne furrowed her eyebrows at the phone in her hand and looked up at Ann. "My sister's gotten herself engaged."

"Which is a bad thing?"

"Yes- I-" Anne sighed and rubbed her forehead again. "She deserves much better than that...." She paused for a second before spitting out, "Man." Anne shakily took a deep breath before continuing. "She doesn't think she can do any better for some reason."

Ann squeezed Anne's arm, "Have you told her?"

"Of course I have."

"I mean have you told her without insulting her boyfriend the entire time?" Ann asked and raised her eyebrows at Anne.

"Why should I care if I insult him-"

"I don't know about your sister, but I tend to get a bit defensive, at least internally, when someone laments over my poor decision making skills." Ann said and hesitantly removed her hand from Anne's arm.

Anne blinked in surprise. Her grip around her phone tightened imperceptibly. She nodded at Ann, mind seemingly miles away already. Ann smiled and turned to walk to her trailer, leaving Anne leaning on the wall behind her.

 

* * *

 

Ann had finished filming her last scene for the first day, feeling extremely drained but still elated at the progress they were making. She wasn't completely sure of the timeline of the shoots yet, but she felt like things were running rather smoothly, regardless of the fact that Ann managed to butcher her lines every time she so much as caught a glimpse of Anne in her periphery.

A confident knock sounded at her door as she was packing her things up to set off for the day. She immediately knew it was Anne and felt her heart rate quicken.

"Ann? Can I come in-" Anne said but choked on her words in surprise as Ann flung the door to her trailer open. The shocked look on Anne's face had an immediate feeling of burning embarrassment run through Ann.

"Oh god- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Ann winced and moved aside, still clutching at the door handle. "Come in, sorry."

Anne cleared her throat. "Right," She said and stepped inside, walking over to lean up against the small table across from the door.

Ann began to close the door and slowly backed up against it until it clicked shut. Her hands were splayed against the wood. They were standing directly across from each other, less than five feet of space between them. Somehow the distance felt intimate, while also feeling immensely far apart. Ann had to tighten her hands into fists, nails biting into the palms of her hands to stop herself from closing that distance.

"I-um," Anne's voice sounded startlingly loud in the silence that had dominated. "I need," She sighed as her head dropped down slightly. She brought her hand up from the edge of the table to rub at her forehead.

"What is it?" Ann found herself asking, taking in the way a few locks of Anne's hair fell onto her brows from the neatly pushed back hairstyle. She clenched her fists even harder, trying to banish the thought of combing her hands through Anne's hair, down to the base of her neck, pulling her in to press their lips together-

"I need your help with something." Anne said, eyes still closed as she rubbed at the pain in her head.

"Anything." Ann breathed out.

Anne's eyes snapped up to look at Ann. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ann's lips parting as she breathed heavily, flush rising up her chest above the collar of her shirt. "What?" Anne said weakly, eyes still not leaving the site in front of her.

Ann's immediately squeaked, face completely reddening with the implications of what she had said. "I- That's not-" Her voice broke off helplessly, "I'm just- feeling a bit off right now."

"Oh." Anne said and leaned back, blinking slowly at Ann. Anne tried not to fidget under her gaze. "Was it all the filming today?"

Ann found herself unable to reply, face still red with lingering embarrassment as she averted her gaze from Anne.

"God- are you alright?" Within a split second, Anne was directly in front of her, gently putting the palm of her hand against Ann's forehead, checking for a fever. "Lord, you're burning up. I _knew_ the schedule they decided on was ridiculous- If you were feeling this way you should have told me something-"

Breathing became harder and harder for Ann by the moment. The feeling of Anne's thumb brushing the skin of her cheek as she leaned in to check Ann's eyes for any other sign of unwellness almost made Ann's knees give out from under her.

"I just-"

"What is it-" Anne said, tone of voice edging on begging.

"I- need some room- I feel-" Ann choked out, almost sliding down the door when Anne flew to the other side of the trailer within an instant. Her knuckles white as the clenched the edge of the very table she had stood at just moments before. Ann put her hand on her heart, still wildly beating.

"I-" Anne grounded out, voice cracking against the single syllable. She closed her eyes and took a levelling breath. She opened them at looked at Ann before looking away again. "I'm sorry- I-"

"No, no- I'm just," Ann blew out a frustrated breath, "a bit overwhelmed." She settled on after a second, hoping Anne wouldn't question what it was she was overwhelmed about.

"Right. Right. I'm sorry." Anne's hands loosened a bit against the table top edge. "I'm going to let the Priestleys know." She said and paused for a moment, searching for her next words. "About the schedule."

"The schedule. Yes. Right." Ann found herself repeating, letting out another breath. She shakily made her way to the couch and sat down, feeling Anne's eyes carefully on her the entire time. The idea that Anne would spring into action at any sign of danger comforted her.

"Yes." Anne said and disjointedly patted her pocket for her phone without taking her eyes off of Ann. "I'll- send a message. Now, I mean."

"Okay." Ann said. She tried to loosen her shoulders, the sudden stiffness a product of her anxiety from not knowing how to behave around Anne anymore.

Silence loomed between the two of them once again; not unnerving but almost uncomfortable with the sheer amount of tenseness each of them held internally. The silence was broken yet again by Anne's voice, softly this time instead of at an awkwardly loud volume. "I initially came here to ask for your help with Marian."

Ann looked up to see that Anne was still looking down at her phone but not actively using it. She wasn't even sure if Anne had turned the screen on.

"With her unfortunate proposal?"

"Yes." Anne said. After a few motionless beats, her thumbs tapped across the screen, typing something out. "I just think that maybe," She sighed and looked at Anne, "she could use another perspective that isn't mine." Her phone buzzed and Ann watched as Anne read over the message she received. "Mrs. Priestley thinks it would be good to slow down filming a bit as well."

"Oh. Thank you." Ann said and wrapped her finger around a loose thread on a seam of the couch cushion.

"Would you? Help me with talking to Marian, I mean. I thought about what you'd told me earlier and I don't think I can talk about any of this without the perception that I'm talking down to her."

"Of course I'll help you." Ann said. "I'd do anyth-" She cut herself off and winced. "You'd only do the same for me, right?"

"Yes. Of course, that goes without saying. Friday, if you're free then?" Anne asked.

"That sounds good. Just let me know what time." Ann said, her eyes still on Anne.

Anne nodded and stood up straight, moving away from the table she'd been leaning on. She unbuttoned her sleeves, rolling up the fabric to her elbows. "They really ought to turn down the heating in these, it's really warming up outside."

Ann's eyes completely focused on the newly exposed skin of Anne's arms. She could see the hard muscles of her forearms ripple a bit when she took her phone from her pocket and replied to another message. Ann's gaze traced the veins that ran from Anne's wrist and the back of her hands up her arms as they disappeared under the rolled up fabric of her sleeves. She imagined running her fingers along each defined line, taking her time in order to memorize every part of Anne that she could.

"Miss Walker?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it too hot in here for you?" Anne asked lightly.

"What?" Ann responded, snapping her eyes away from Anne's arms.

Anne gestured with a finger to her own temple and made the motion of something moving down across her face. "You're sweating."

Ann brought her hand up to touch her forehead and felt the dampness. "Oh Lord-" She said horrified at herself.

"You're done for today right? Let's go outside, fresh air will do us both good. I can walk you to your car if you'd like."

Ann nodded quickly and stood up, taking the bags she had left on the other side of the couch when Anne had come knocking.

Anne held out her hand for the bags. "Allow me- I don't want you falling over, you still don't look too well."

"Right. Okay." Ann said and handed the bags to Anne who shouldered them with ease. Anne walked to the front of the trailer and opened the door for Ann, allowing some of the cool air to enter the room as she switched off the lights and turned off the heating.

Ann could already feel her face becoming less flushed with the chillier outdoor air. She walked out the door and down the steps, Anne following close behind.

"You should call in sick tomorrow if you still feel off. Don't worry about anything, I'll handle it all." Anne said, walking considerably slower than she was used to in order to match Ann's speed.

"God," Ann let out a laugh. "I can't do that. I wish I could, but I really shouldn't. I'll probably be able to sleep this off." She said and sighed after a second. "Hopefully." She added on.

Anne cleared her throat, unable to allow any more silence between them for some reason. "I watched some of the reels from today's shoot."

"Really?" Ann asked, slowing down a bit. "What did you think- I mean- should I change anything-"

"I thoroughly enjoyed watching you." Anne said and then visibly blanched at the words she had just said after a beat, "I meant watching you act- It's- you're very good." She finished faintly.

Ann found herself grinning at Anne's flustered outburst, feeling glad that she hadn't been the only one to misspeak during their conversation. "You enjoyed watching me?"

Anne cleared her throat. "Yes. Well. Of course." She said in a strained voice. Ann glanced at her from the corner of her eye and tried to stop her grin from becoming any bigger with the sight of Anne biting at her lip nervously.

"And," Ann breathed out, reveling in the feeling on Anne's intense gaze trained onto her, "You'd like to keep? Watching me?"

Anne swallowed roughly and let out a shaky breath. "What do you mean- I-"

"Well," Anne laughed at Ann's shocked expression, "you'd better get a Netflix subscription, most of my work is on there." She tried to stifle a laugh when Anne visibly tensed at the words.

"Yes. I know." Anne said, looking away from Ann and at the ground. "I've watched all of it."

"All of what?" Ann said, looking at Anne with surprise. "All of my work?" She immediately stopped walking.

"Of course I did." Anne said lightly and stopped as well when she realized Ann had ceased to walk. She turned to look at her. "Is that- does that make you uncomfortable?"

"What?" Ann said as she tried to shake the dazed expression from her face, "No- I- _even the early stuff?"_ She asked helplessly. "Even the," She lowered her voice, _"Disney Channel stuff?"_

Anne laughed surprisedly and looked away with a bit of embarrassment. She pulled at the collar of her shirt with her index finger as if trying to loosen it a bit, the same gesture she made the first time Ann had seen her in her Darcy costume. "Just the scenes you were in." She wrinkled her nose a bit. "Had to start at the beginning, you know?"

Ann felt at a loss for words. None of her costars had _ever_ done this amount of research about her in all the years she had acted. She let out a heavy breath. "That- I- it was terrible wasn't it." She said, letting out a laugh as she remembered some of the storylines for the teen shows she had taken a part in.

"Can't say it was the most enjoyable experience." Anne said and laughed with Ann. "But," She found herself winking at Ann before she could stop herself, "you stood out from the pack."

Ann let out a loud scoff and shoved Anne's arm, doing her absolute best to ignore the warmth she felt ripple up the palm of her hand when she made contact. "Absolutely shameless."

 

* * *

 

"We've had a change in casting." Mrs. Priestley said, ignoring any signs of unhappiness in the group of actors she was addressing.

"Already?" Anne muttered and held back a yelp when Ann elbowed her.

 _"Luckily,"_ Mrs. Priestley added after a moment, "no scenes will have to be reshot." She cleared her throat. "As some of you may have heard through the hardworking gossip mills of the set, our actress for Caroline Bingley had left on rather bad terms last night and had made it clear that she would not be returning for any subsequent filming."

Anne let out an amused breath. She leaned in closer to Ann and whispered, "How much do you want to bet that it was Mrs. Priestley's fault?"

Ann shivered when Ann's lips accidentally grazed the shell of her ear when someone shifted and bumped into Anne slightly. "I-" Ann cleared her throat, "I'm not going to bet on something we both know is true."

"Smart decision." Anne said as she softly laughed. She moved away from Anne, back straightening, directing her attention back to Mrs. Priestley.

Ann let out a tumultuous sigh, trying to make it as quiet as possible as to not catch Anne's attention.

"... quite luckily. We've managed to find someone who will fit in seamlessly. She's finishing up getting her costumes taken in as we speak so that we can begin filming the next scenes as scheduled." Mrs. Priestley said and smiled primly. "We've also managed to get her husband to work as a producer for a few episodes, which I am ecstatic about. Without further ado, Mr. Charles Lawton," She stepped aside and an old, balding man stepped forward from behind a group of cast members.

 _"Shit."_ Anne hissed and crouched down a bit, as if trying to block herself off from the man's view.

"What are you doing?" Ann whispered amusedly.

"The longer it takes him to see me, the further of a headstart I get." Anne said. She began to back up slowly away from the group. Ann had to physically put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud at Anne's antics.

"How do you know him-"

Anne bumped into the front of someone before she could respond. She closed her eyes and tried not to groan aloud, already recognizing the scent of the perfume now surrounding her. A hand raked through the back of her hair and moved down her back, lingering on a belt loop before tugging slightly.

"Hello, Freddie." Mariana Lawton said into Anne's ear, grin evident in her tone of voice. Anne spun around to face her, unaware of Anne's eyes completely focused on the two of them, narrowing slightly at the proximity between the two women.

"Miss Lawton. The new Carolina Bingley, I'm assuming." Anne said lightly.

"You assume correctly." Mariana said and bit down on her lower lip in a showy fashion.

"Husband here to keep an eye on you, hmm?" Anne said as her eyes flickered down to the movement, much to Mariana's pleasure, before quickly looking back upwards. Anne internally slapped herself.

"More to keep an eye on you, if we're being honest. But either way, you know me. Stirring up trouble everywhere I go."

Anne hummed in agreement. "Hope you're not planning on stirring up too much." She said, voice edging on admonishment.

Mariana smiled wryly and gave Anne a wink before turning around and heading back to the fitting in her trailer just as the crowd was dispersing.

"Mariana and Charles Lawton?" Ann asked, startling Anne who had retreated into her thoughts.

Anne cleared her throat. "Yes." She sighed.

_Unfortunately._

She looked at Ann after a moment and deflated slightly. "This will make for an interesting project." Anne said and patted her shirt pocket for a pack of cigarettes. She opened the pack and groaned when she came up empty.

Ann let out a laugh at Anne's petulant show of disappointment. "You really should have been quitting those anyways."

"Yes, yes, I know." Anne sighed. "I said I would, didn't I?"

Ann nodded as they began making their way to the first shoot of the day. The scene in the ballroom. It'd probably take the majority of the day- people needing to move just right as the camera panned through them and onto Darcy and Bingley.

"Alright. I'll make it official now." She said, tossing the empty pack into a garbage bin along the path. "I shall not be renewing my subscription with lung cancer daily."

"Oh my god." Ann said as she laughed. "That was terrible."

"God- wasn't it?" Anne laughed as well. She opened the door to the building they'd be shooting in for Ann and followed behind.

A second set of doors that led into the ballroom space were just a few feet away. The enclosed waiting area between the ballroom space and outside was completely empty and Ann found herself stopping before they continued into the filming location. Anne paused as well, looking at Ann questioningly.

"How do you know Mariana Lawton?" Ann asked, to Anne's and her own surprise.

Anne cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very tense in the short span of time since the question was asked. "I- well-" She let out a sigh and deflated. "I had an affair with her."

Ann looked at her with surprise, eyes widening. "Is that why she looked-" She cut herself off before she could say something truly embarrassing. "Is that why her husband is here as well?"

"Yes."

Ann took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. She felt very tired all of a sudden.

"I'm surprised you didn't already know- it was all over the papers December of two years ago-"

"I was preoccupied with other things then." Ann snapped. Attending four funerals, for example. She clenched her jaw, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"Oh god- Ann- I'm sorry-" Anne said, voice distraught. She had completely forgotten about what happened to get her off of every magazine cover. Anne was barely able to stop herself before taking a step forward towards Ann in an attempt to placate her.

"Let's just get to filming, shall we?" Ann said, voice breaking slightly towards the end of her question.

"I can have them put it off a little if you need me to-"

"No." She said and took a deep breath. "No, I need to do something right now." Ann said slightly more softly.

"Okay." Anne said and moved away from Ann, giving her space. Little did she know, Ann desired the exact opposite. Anne opened the door to the ballroom, the noise from the crowd of people inside flooding outwards and startling them as if they were being dunked into frigid water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm giving you the awkward pining the ann(e)s deserve..... like TRULY what is romance without painful tenseness and extreme tenderness.


	6. to be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took a bit longer to update! the finale literally had me spiralling for DAYS. this chapter came out a bit longer than expected but hey, we all deserve it. another rewatch of pride and prejudice (2005) and 6k words later, and here we are!

Ann remembered something about her mother. Not through a half baked and incoherent dream, but deliberately. For the first time since the funeral. Not since the accident though, because she was forced to think about her last moments with her family. To dredge them up with words that couldn't really express the deep level of grief she was feeling and speak in front of the unblinking red lights and glazed lenses of the cameras recording her.

She rested her chin in her hand, palm horizontal across her face, slightly covering her bottom lip. Her thumb brushed at the underside of her chin as she thought back.

Sitting at her mother's vanity, watching her as she carefully applied makeup. Going through the steps, the motions automatic. She'd done this thousands of times before. Ann knew this, she sat with her almost every time, as far back as she could remember. She could still remember each distinct smell of lipstick being opened, the feeling of the small golden letters under her fingers with words like _allure_ or _danger_ engraved onto the tubes.

Sometimes she would catch her mother's gaze in the mirror, looking at her with something that she now could recognize as sadness.

"One day," She said in a pivotal moment between them, "you'll get to beautify yourself the same way. To stay pretty for your future husband."

Ann thought she looked beautiful without it all, and told her just as much, only to receive patronizing laughter in response. That's when Ann stopped sitting at her mother's vanity. Not all at once, but slowly, drifting away until the visits completely stopped. Until she didn't recognize the new colors adorning her mother's lips, unfamiliar with the perfumes that wafted from her pulse points. One spritz for her wrists, and two for each side of her neck.

She should have stuck it out. At least then she'd know the perfume her mother wore for the last few years of her life.

Ann jolted out of her reverie when her phone buzzed with an incoming phone call, buzzing loudly on the surface of the small glass coffee table. She picked it up and looked at it with surprise when she saw it was Anne.

"Hello?"

_"Miss Walker. Ann. Hello."_

Ann stifled letting out a laugh at the sound of Anne's nervous voice over the line. "Hi."

 _"I was-"_ She cleared her throat. _"Are you busy? Right now?"_

"No, I was just," Ann sighed and shrugged her shoulders nervously, forgetting for a moment that Anne couldn't see her.

 _"Just what?"_ Anne asked lightly.

"I remembered something about my mother. Consciously, I mean. Not in the 'oh I forgot you had died for a second' kind of way." Ann said after a second.

 _"It takes a while to reach that moment. Took me almost five years before I even talked about my brother after he died."_ Anne said, dazing Ann a bit with her moment of unfiltered honesty.

"I didn't know you had a brother." Ann found herself saying. "Lost mine too."

_"I know. I'm sorry- about the other day. Before filming."_

Ann let out a heavy sigh and unclenched her grip from the tartan blanket on her lap. "I know. I'm sorry I reacted like that-"

 _"You have no need to apologize. I was insensitive."_ Anne said.

Ann smiled to herself and cleared her throat, "You were wondering if I was busy right now?"

_"Right. Yes. You said you'd be free Friday- earlier this week- I'm- I'm outside your apartment block."_

"What?" Ann yelped, standing up out of her seat on the sofa. The blanket on her lap pooled onto the floor. "Why are you- what?"

 _"I should've gotten to that in a much smoother manner, yes. That was rather abrupt."_ Anne laughed nervously. _"My cafe- well my sister's cafe really, I just technically loaned her the money for the establishment- is having a series of live music performance things at ten."_

"Live music performance things." Ann deadpanned.

_"Well yes- I didn't exactly plan them. I haven't the slightest idea what type of music."_

Ann let out a breathy laugh. "Alright. Extremely persuasive. I'm sold."

 _"I promise- wait really?"_ Anne said without hiding her surprise.

"Actually I rescind that, I need to hear what you're promising me."

Ann could hear Anne's disbelieving laughter from the other side of the line. _"Save that for the cameras, Miss Walker."_

 

* * *

 

Ann immediately buttoned up her cardigan once she stepped outside. The weather while they filmed was rather temperate, but once night fell, it was a completely different story. She considered doubling back to grab a thicker jacket but lost her train of thought when she spotted Anne leaning against a wall, running a hand through her cropped hair distractedly as she glanced at her phone.

Not for the first time, did Ann wish it was her own hand moving through that thick hair instead.

"Ann!" Anne said, looking up and smiling when she saw her approach. Ann cursed under her breath when she felt her pulse quicken at the warm look Anne sent her way. "You look wonderful. Very-" Anne paused searching for her words, "cafe live music performance thing appropriate."

Ann snorted and immediately put a hand up to her mouth. "You're ridiculous."

"So you've told me many times." Anne said after laughing at the sound Ann had let out. "It's a beautiful night, I thought we could take a stroll. It's only about twenty minutes away on foot."

"Sounds lovely." Ann smiled, internally giddy at spending more time with Anne.

Anne offered an arm to Ann and shivered lightly when Ann smoothed a hand over the knitted fabric of the sleeve of her cable knit sweater near the crease of her elbow. They began walking, shoulders grazing every other step, to both of their satisfaction.

"We're also on a reconnaissance mission." Anne said, voice lowered. "If you still are up for it, I'd appreciate it if you talked to my sister about the engagement and the future failure of her marriage."

"Jesus, Anne-"

"What? Why should I ignore the truth?"

"Maybe it really would be best if I spoke to her. _Not-"_ Ann held up a finger to stop Anne from interrupting, "Not to persuade her of anything. I'd like to hear her side of things."

"Right, of course. Going the empathetic route. Very smart." Anne said and checked the watch on her wrist.

"It's not some sort of plan!" Ann exclaimed, looking at Anne with a bit of outrage. "I want to hear her side of things without- _without-"_ She held up a finger again in warning when she saw Anne open her mouth in retaliation, "you meddling. Let me handle this."

Anne heaved out a sigh and nodded her head in consolation. "Alright. I trust you."

Ann blinked at her in surprise. "Right." She felt her heart leap in her chest when Anne smiled at her.

They continued walking through the city with the yellow light of the lamps that lined the streets casting onto them warmly. The streets became livelier as they made their way towards the areas that housed most of the restaurants and pubs. Ann watched with amazement as people instinctively moved out of their way. She was sure it had something to do with Anne's confident footsteps, seemingly demanding respect from all those around them.

Anne made a quick turn into a small side street when the crowding became a bit rowdier as they neared an area with multiple pubs. Ann had gotten shouldered one too many times and struggled to hang on to Anne's arm.

"It's not a shortcut, per se, but rather a more scenic route." Anne said, looking at Ann reassuringly. "Also no more pubs along this way, thank the Lord."

Ann rubbed her sore shoulder and let out a noise of relief at Anne's words. "I'm glad. More proof I'd never make it in the sport of rugby."

"What a loss! You were truly built for it, Miss Walker! All of those bulging muscles." Anne said and shook her head in faux disappointment.

Before Ann could respond, she found herself looking at a small sparkling river, lights from the houses along the edge bouncing off the flowing water beautifully. They had both stopped to take in the sight. She looked at Anne who was inexplicably smiling softly at her.

The sudden urge to lean up and kiss her flashed through Ann's mind. She stepped closer to Anne, almost without realizing. Her hand was still gripping Anne's arm, tightening slightly as she imagined closing the distance.

Anne's eyes dropped to her lips but quickly moved back up to meet her eyes.

"You know um-" Ann took a deep breath and continued before she completely lost her nerve, "The night you came for dinner and you asked-" She bit down on her bottom lip nervously, "You asked if you could- well you said you wanted to… kiss me."

Anne blinked with surprise at the unexpected direction the conversation was going. She moved her hand to cup Ann's still on her arm, thumb sweeping over the skin of her wrist reassuringly.

"And- and then you were embarrassed but, well, you shouldn't have been." Ann said quietly. "Because it doesn't frighten me."

She watched as Anne's eyes flickered across her face as if trying to detect any sense of uncertainty. "Really?"

Ann stepped closer, hand squeezing Anne's arm a bit tighter. Ann's hand felt burning hot underneath Anne's, heat radiating up her arm. She flushed a bit after a few moments of stunned silence on Anne's end.

In one slow but deliberate motion, Anne brought the hand clasped under her own up towards her lips, pressing lightly on the back. Ann let out a shuddering breath at the contact, breathing continue to come out in irregular puffs when Anne's eyes flicked up to meet her own. She watched as Anne brought her other hand up to assist with rotating her hand gently in order to press her lips to the side of her wrist.

Even with the sound of the flowing river beside them, Anne could hear the way Ann's breath struggled out of her lungs as she deliberately dragged her lips against the skin of her wrist. Anne couldn't say much about it herself, the contact between them feeling more intense than any moment Anne had experienced in her life thus far.

Anne didn't move for a moment, keeping her lips pressed down on the skin of Ann's wrist, inhaling with surprise when Ann's other hand moved to touch the back of her neck. She looked at Ann slowly, eyes taking in every feature of her face, watching as she nervously wet her lips with her tongue. Anne pulled her closer, using the hand in her grasp for leverage, until they were toe to toe. She brought her hand up to Ann's cheek and stroked softly with the pad of her thumb when she felt Ann's fingers rake through the short hair at the back of her head gently.

They were gravitating towards each other now, incrementally moving with one goal in mind. Ann found herself straining upwards a bit, the height difference between them enough to call for her to stand on her toes in the flat shoes she was wearing. Anne's eyes, heavy with palpable desire met Ann's. They each marveled at the way the light that reflected from the water beside them danced across the sides of their faces. Anne took in the golden nature that Ann's hair took in the warmth of the light.

Barely a centimeter stood between their lips. Ann could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest, jumping to her throat when Anne brought the thumb brushing against her cheek to sweep across the surface of Ann's bottom lip. She let out an unsteady breath and felt her eyes flutter shut.

From the alley they had walked through just minutes earlier, a few loud clanging sounds broke the quiet but charged tension in the air. The two women immediately flew apart. A group of rowdy men, coming out from one of the pubs, kicked a few empty beer cans once again while celebratorily chanting some sort of football taunt. They drunkenly walked by Anne and Ann, without paying mind to them, slinging arms around each other and yelling loud enough to echo across the water.

Ann had her hands over her flushed face, bent over at the waist and breathing with difficulty at what had almost happened. Anne stood frozen in shell-shock, blinking slowly and looking at the group of drunk men with increasing resentment. She let out a frustrated sigh and looked at Ann.

"Ann- are you alright?" She asked, hesitantly moving closer after a moment.

"I- I- yes. Maybe. I think." Ann took her hands off her face and looked at Anne with a distressed smile. "Scared the living daylights out of me."

Anne blew out a sigh of relief before rubbing a hand across Ann's back soothingly. "If there weren't ten of them, I'd have beaten them with a stick for scaring you."

Ann laughed at Anne's bold expression of protectiveness and found herself continuing to laugh helplessly at what had just happened. Anne looked at her with bemusement as she continued to laugh, clutching her stomach at the intensity.

"I can't believe- we- they-" Ann wheezed out through her giggling.

Anne shook her head and rubbed her hand down Ann's back once more. She checked her watch and cursed under her breath. "We're a bit late- we're very nearly there."

"Alright," Ann said as she finished up laughing and stood up straight. She let out another giggle when she looked at Anne, who in turn rolled her eyes good naturedly at Ann's antics.

Anne's phone buzzed in her pocket and she answered without even checking the screen. She sighed and motioned at Ann for them to start walking once more. "Yes, _Marian,_ I'm on my way. Almost there. No need to tell me off."

Despite the sudden laughter that had overtook Ann, she still found herself unable to take her eyes off of Anne's lips as she spoke to her sister over the phone. The way her hands gestulated before she abruptly hung up the phone and shrugged her shoulders at Ann as if to say _what can I do._

Ann brought her hand up to touch her lower lip, still slightly tingling from the way Anne had stroked the pad of her finger across it. If those men hadn't come down that alley and made such a ruckus, would the two of them had kissed? Her wrist felt warm from the memory of Anne's lips pressed against it, warming her fully, despite her earlier need for a thicker jacket.

She looked back at Anne, walking noticeably slower than she usually did, mind seemingly miles away in thought. Before any more courage could escape Ann, she purposefully grazed the backs of their hands together as they walked, jolting Anne from her reflections.

Ann held back a smile when Anne's pinky hooked around her own for a few moments before letting go when a small cafe came into view. People littered the street and sidewalk outside of the establishment, enjoying the music coming out from the opened doors of the cafe. She looked at Anne with surprise."This- you own Shibden Cafe?"

Anne laughed, "Did I forget to mention that when we met up here? Silly me." She turned away from Ann when she her name being called.

"Anne! You're half an hour late!"

"I'm aware, Marian." Anne said as she gave a stiff one armed hug to her sister. "I had to pick up a friend- you'd know this if you'd actually _listened_ during our conversation a few minutes ago."

Marian rolled her eyes and turned to look at Ann. Her eyes widened with recognition. "Oh- Ann Walker! I'm a huge fan-"

"Marian." Anne interrupted. "Please act like a normal human being for once in your life."

Ann smiled reassuringly at Marian after elbowing Anne lightly. "Don't worry about it." She held out her hand to shake with Marian's. "I've heard so much about you."

"All bad things, I'm assuming." Marian muttered.

"I like coming to my own conclusions about other people." Ann said. "Your cafe is absolutely lovely, I ate here with Anne a while ago."

Marian brightened at the compliment "Thank you!" Ann watched with amusement when she quickly turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Anne. "You didn't tell her it was your cafe, did you."

"Of course I did, I own it-"

"I should've just taken a loan from the bank. Honestly." Marian groaned. "If I'd known you'd bring it up every time-"

"You don't mean that." Anne said and shook her head. "Anyways," She said, furrowing her eyebrows, "where the hell did you get this band from? The boy honestly sounds like he hasn't hit puberty yet."

Ann laughed when Marian scoffed indignantly. "I was about to offer you some of that vintage red someone brought me but I suppose I'll just share with Ann over here instead."

Anne put her hands up in concession. "Now, now, there's no need to be hasty."

Marian rolled her eyes and motioned for the two to follow her into the cafe. Anne softly put her hand on Ann's lower back, guiding her through the throngs of people. Once inside the cafe, Ann took in the sight of the warm string lights hanging from the ceiling, and the band playing in the front of the cafe as people crowded around. Marian led them behind the counter into the kitchen through a swinging door.

"Thank god I never brought this home." Marian said as she uncorked the bottle. "We'll have to drink this here- I don't want to get stopped for serving alcohol without a liquor license."

"I'll get some cups." Anne said, nudging Ann discreetly as she walked out of the kitchen. Ann glared at her retreating form before wincing and turning back to Marian.

"She wants you to convince me not to marry John, right?" Marian sighed and rotated the wine bottle in place on the wooden counter with her fingers.

"I- yes." Ann conceded after a moment. "She only means well-"

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry she dragged you into this." Marian said and looked up from the bottle and at Ann.

"It's, well, you know how Anne is. Probably more than anyone." Ann said and leaned back against the counter next to Marian. "If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't going to persuade you of anything. I just wanted to hear about your engagement."

She watched Marian as she moved her hand away from the bottle and twisted at the ring on her finger nervously. "It was," She paused, searching for the right word, "romantic. I suppose."

Ann hummed, urging her to continue. Marian twisted the ring a bit faster.

"He- well- he cooked us dinner. Steak. A bit overdone, but passable." Marian chewed on her lip. "Then he got down on one knee and proposed. Large diamond-" She held her hand out for Ann to see the garishly large ring on her finger. "I said yes."

Ann took this in for a moment and wrung her hands together anxiously. "I was proposed to. A few times. Managed to keep it all out of the papers." She said and glanced at Marian when she looked at her with surprise. "The men- they didn't know me. It was always costars. They saw some ideal wife in me, maybe the mother of their children." Ann sighed and gripped the countertop with her hands. "I almost said yes, once."

Marian looked at Ann with a questioning look. "Why'd you almost agree?"

"Maybe I thought it'd be easier. I don't know. I was in a rather low place at the time and my family was urging for me to settle down, maybe I was just tired of it all."

"But you said they'd hardly known you."

"That's what would've made it easier. If they'd really known me, they wouldn't have proposed."

Marian swallowed thickly and turned away from Ann. She looked back down at the wine bottle. "How long does it take to get three goddamn cups-"

Anne strode into the kitchen as Marian groaned. "Well excuse me- it's not my fault you hire such surly baristas! They asked me for my identification."

Ann let out an incredulous laugh at the pouty look on Anne's face.

"If you stopped in more, maybe they'd recognize you!" Marian retaliated, taking the cups from Anne's grasp and pouring wine into each.

"I'm a famous actress! Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Maybe if you were Ann Walker, here. They probably didn't appreciate how you stomped around demanding things as if you owned the place."

Anne looked at Marian with outrage. _"I do own the place!"_

Ann took one of the proffered coffee cups filled with wine and hid her amused grin with the lip of the cup. Anne grumbled something and nodded her head in thanks when Marian handed her a cup.

"To your engagement." Anne said with a deadpan voice as she raised her cup.

"Oh shut up already." Marian said and took a sip of the wine. The two other women followed suit.

Anne immediately spit the wine back into the cup. "That- is not a 1992 Cabernet."

"No it is not." Marian said and put her cup down on the counter. Ann let out a shudder once she had managed to swallow the sip she had taken.

"I think that was battery acid- Who did you say gave this to you?" Anne asked, making a face at the taste still assaulting her pallet.

Marian looked away from Anne with embarrassment and mumbled something almost inaudible.

"I'm sorry- what?" Anne asked, leaning in closer with faux confusion.

"John, okay. John got it for me!"

Anne shared a look with Ann as if to say _I rest my case._

Ann cleared her throat, trying to break the growing tension. "How about we- go back out and listen to the music playing-"

"Splendid idea." Anne said, grabbing Ann's hand and marching them out of the kitchen.

"I meant- Marian too-"

"Don't worry, she needs some time to herself." Anne said softly once they had exited the kitchen area and were back amongst the hubbub of the cafe. "She'll be out in a few minutes."

"Alright." Ann said hesitantly. She squeezed Anne's hand when she felt it loosen its grip. Anne looked at her with thinly veiled surprise and smiled, squeezing her hand back.

"Let's sit down somewhere, shall we?"

Ann nodded her head and allowed herself to be pulled through the crowd, staring at the back of Anne's head as she attempted to press down the urge to smile wider.

 

* * *

 

Rehearsal was tense.

Anne found herself helplessly staring across at Ann and Mariana. The poor man playing Sir William sat stiffly beside Anne, avoiding eye contact with all of them until they ran the lines again. Both women were becoming increasingly irritated with the other. Ann didn't show it quite as obviously as Mariana did, only hummed in response to her inane opinions and shifted uncomfortably in Mariana's presence. While Mariana, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at every attempt at the lines Ann put forth.

Mrs. Priestley thought it would be expedient for them to move forward a bit quicker with their rehearsals and take a few hours to practice the scene with Mariana as Miss Bingley in their first scene together. They found a large enough space that was used as the dance hall in an earlier scene, finding that although other people filtered in an out, the acoustics and natural lighting was advantageous to get into the correct mood for the scene.

Problem was, Ann knew she wasn't in the right headspace, still barely containing a smile from the events of Friday night, replaying the frustratingly _almost_ kiss between Anne and herself over and over. Her bottom lip still felt the touch of Anne's thumb, as if she had just pressed it there moments before.

Anne winced when Ann jolted at Mariana abrupt movement to stand up. "Say it with conviction! You overheard her conversation at the ball- now she's changed her mind and thinks you tolerable enough to dance with-"

"I _know_ the story, Miss Lawton." Ann said lightly and sat back in her chair, suddenly tired. "How would you do it?" She sighed.

"Oh- no- I think we can just go over the lines ourselves once more-" Anne tried but was immediately cut off by Mariana, already throwing Elizabeth Bennet's lines at her.

"Indeed, I do not have the least intention of dancing." Mariana looked at Anne with disdain. "I entreat you not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner."

Anne let out a long suffering sigh before standing up and taking Mariana's hand in her own, as the scene called for. Mariana as Elizabeth slipped it out of Anne's grasp immediately, but not without dragging her fingers across the palm of Anne's hand deliberately in order to induce a reaction.

Mariana glared at the actor for Sir William to recite his lines when she realized the scene wasn't just between Elizabeth and Darcy. He jumped when he noticed her fury and scrambled to open his script. "You- you excel so much in the dance-"

"Miss Darcy is all politeness." Mariana cut him off before he could finish his line, looking back at Anne with thinly veiled contempt for her character.

Anne felt it was all wrong, the quick wittedness of Elizabeth lost in Mariana's showy nature and single minded focus on looking at Anne angrily with barely concealed lust in her eyes. Anne just wanted the scene to be over with already.

"She is- indeed- but considering the inducement, my dear Eliza..." The actor for Sir William sighed, completely blind to the sudden tenseness in the air, Anne and Mariana locked in silent conversation with Ann looking on helplessly from the sidelines.

"That's good enough." Anne cut in before they could finish the scene.

"Yes, I think I understand better now." Ann said with resignation, standing from her seat.

Anne looked at her with surprise, as if she had almost forgotten that Ann had been sitting there the entire time.

"I'll- um- I'm just going to practice more alone." She said and gestured with her head towards where the actors' trailers stood. The actor playing Sir William stood as well, ready to make a hasty retreat from whatever he had just witnessed.

Mariana waved her hand distractedly at Ann, as if shooing her away, without taking her eyes off of Anne for one moment. "I've got more to work on with Freddie anyways." She said as she grinned at Anne.

Ann looked at the two of them before minutely shaking her head at herself and hesitantly walking out of the rehearsal space and to her trailer. Anne clenched her jaw at the sight, eyes following Ann's form until she disappeared behind a closed door.

She turned to look at Mariana. _"Must_ you antagonize the lead of the show? You've read the novel, haven't you? Elizabeth Bennet is literally the main character-"

"Me? Antagonizing? I have no idea what you're talking about." Mariana said primly. "Why don't we go to your trailer so we can discuss this in _private?"_ Her eyes lit up at the words coming from her own mouth.

"I'm only agreeing to this because I don't want anyone else overhearing what I have to say."

"The walls are thin, darling, sheet metal can't muffle the sounds of my screams-"

"Stop it-" Anne cut her off, looking at Mariana sharply. "Your husband is here." She glanced towards the front of the room, where Mr. Lawton was discussing something with another producer.

"Well, luckily for us he's not in your trailer. We'd better leave quickly before he notices."

Anne sighed and began walking out of the room, not pausing to wait for Mariana to gather her things. She smiled with thinly veiled self satisfaction when she heard Mariana scramble to grab her script and bag from behind her.

 

* * *

 

Ann threw her script packet onto her couch with frustration before quickly following and groaning into the cushion pressed against her face. Of course Anne would choose Mariana over her. How could she not? She was assertive, beautiful, and had a history with Anne. Even despite the husband situation, Ann knew she didn't have a chance.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the white ceiling of her trailer. With Mariana back in the picture, it'd be a rarity for Ann to spend time with Anne like she had Friday night. The night they were increments away from kissing. Maybe it was a good thing they hadn't kissed. For some reason Ann felt like if she had pressed her lips to Anne's, she might never have been able to stop.

Somewhere out there, alternate universe Ann Walker was still locked in a passionate embrace with Anne Lister.

The thought brought a small smile to her lips. 

Ann sighed and picked up the script lying by her head, flipping through until she arrived at the scene they had just practiced. Acting like she held disdain for Anne was a difficult thing; every part of herself yearned to be in her company, almost as if she was completely magnetized to her.

Perhaps she'd just imagine someone she disliked in her stead. Perhaps Dr. Kenny, who had always given her a keen sense of discomfort during their sessions. She found herself holding back a smile when she thought of her final interaction with him before moving on to a new therapist. Begging on his knees for her not to report him to the board for breach of confidentiality between doctor and patient. She did of course, but the memory of him in all his pompous nature brought down to almost nothing with a single threat, using the evidence Anne had informed her about offhandedly, was enough to bring a smile to her face.

Dr. Kenny it would be, then. That settled it.

Ann read through the lines, imagining Dr. Kenny as being the one on the receiving end of her disdain, and found the emotions she had to conjure much easier than if she imagined Anne.

Oh Lord she had it bad.

She covered her face with the script and groaned again.

And now Anne was god knows where with Mariana. She shouldn't have left them alone together. Ann sat up abruptly, script falling onto her lap.

_She shouldn't have left them alone together._

Ann thought back at the affectionate nickname Mariana purred at Anne. Freddie. Oh Lord- Ann stood up but sat back down seconds later, deflating slightly.

What right did she have to tell Anne what she could and couldn't do? Ann didn't want to play some sort of chaperone, pulling them apart like the nuns did when her friends danced too closely with the private school boys during secondary school functions. _Leave enough room for the Lord!_

Ann slumped down on the couch, head falling back on the top part of the backrest. She sighed and flipped through the script again. She wanted to talk to Anne about a few of her other scenes anyways.

God, what a mess.

 

* * *

 

Anne grabbed a water bottle for herself out of the small refrigerator under the counter in her trailer and unscrewed the cap.

"What? No water for me?" Mariana asked loftily from the couch she was lounging across.

"Last bottle, I'm afraid." Anne said before taking a sip.

"Oh, an indirect kiss, how titillating." Mariana said, extending her arm for the bottle. Anne rolled her eyes and handed it to her before leaning up against the counter across from the couch. Mariana took a long sip, without relinquishing eye contact with Anne.

"We need to talk about your behavior." Anne sighed, leaning forward to take the water bottle from Mariana. She suppressed another eye roll when Mariana caressed her hand when she grabbed the bottle.

"My behavior? Have I been a bad girl?" Mariana said, looking at Anne with amusement. "Are you going to punish me, Miss Lister?"

Anne let out a disbelieving laugh. "Absolutely ridiculous. You know we can't continue anything. Not with your husband watching my every move-"

"You mean, not with little Miss Ann Walker watching your every move." Mariana said looking at Anne meaningfully. "And just because you don't want to fuck me into oblivion right now, doesn't mean I can't have a little fun in the meantime."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Anne said. She looked at Mariana without amusement when she made a zipping motion across her lips. "Mariana."

"Freddie." Mariana said lowly, and grinned slowly after a moment. She threw a hand over her forehead dramatically. "Oh, _Freddie-"_

"What-"

Mariana cut her off with a loud keening moan. Anne looked at her with confusion. "Oh- fuck me _harder- yes!"_ Mariana bounced slightly on the couch, grinning at Anne when it made a rhythmic squeaking sound underneath her. She winked at Anne and wailed with ecstacy.

Anne stared at Mariana with bewilderment. This was even strange coming from Mariana. 

 _"Yes- yes, yes, faster- oh yes!"_ Mariana moaned, pretending to thrash around on the couch. "Oh Anne- God, yes-" She let out an impression of a specific whine, one Anne was intimately familiar with. Anne winced and gripped the counter under her hands harder.

Anne rubbed her hand across her face when Mariana had finally calmed down. "What the hell was all that about?"

Mariana stood up and laughed, tossing Anne's phone to her with a screen reading _Call with Ann Walker: Ended._

She looked at Mariana with a horrified expression on her face. "You didn't-"

"It's not my fault she called at the perfect time." Mariana said, shrugging as she grabbed her things and the water bottle sitting on the counter beside Anne. She moved to whisper into Anne's ear, lips grazing the shell. "Once you wake up from your little daydream, I'm available. For you, always." She moved back and smiled at Anne. "And once Charles dies, we can have the life we always wanted together."

Anne clenched her teeth together, jaw tensing. She watched Mariana leave her trailer without another word. She looked down at the phone in her tight grip. The call log taunting her, Ann's name at the top of the list. Call lasting five minutes. The entire duration of Mariana's little show.

She dropped the phone on the counter and ran out of her trailer, door slamming behind her. She caught herself before she could attract more attention by sprinting across the lot. Anne strode purposefully, knowing that no one would bother her when she walked with such singular focus.

Before she knew it, she was slightly out of breath, panting by the steps leading up to the door of Ann's trailer. She let out a frustrated sigh and pushed the flyaway hair from her face.

What would she even say to Ann?

_Sorry you heard what you thought was me fucking Mariana over the phone._

God, what had possessed Mariana to pull a stunt like that. Anne groaned to herself and shook her head. She steeled herself before taking the steps, two at a time, and rapping her knuckles in quick succession against the wood.

When no reply was heard Anne took a deep breath tried at the doorknob, surprised when it gave and allowed her to swing the door open.

In the corner of the room sat Ann, on the floor. Face red and streaked with tears. She took in a shuddering breath when she noticed that Anne was standing by the door.

"Ann?" Anne said, unable to hide the disbelief in her voice. "What-"

"I know- I don't have any kind of-" Ann's voice broke off, _"claim_ on you or anything ridiculous like that but-" She paused when a clearly stunned Anne quickly closed the door behind her. "But- can you at least be more careful answering your phone-"

"Ann." Anne said helplessly. She hesitated for a moment before crossing the room and getting onto her knees in front of Ann. "Ann-"

"I just- I could've lived my whole life without listening to the sounds of Mariana Lawton-" She lowered her voice in embarrassment, _"orgasming."_

"Ann- we didn't-"

Ann let out a tearful laugh. "I don't even know why I'm so upset- or why I didn't just hang up. I just felt paralyzed." She looked up at Anne, eyes exposing all emotions swirling through her. "All I could think-" She sighed frustratedly.

"She's just a mistake from the past that still haunts me to this day." Anne muttered.

Ann's blinked hard a few times in an attempt to clear her vision. She paid no mind to Anne's words, focused only on one thought. "All I could think was why _her_ instead of me-" And before Ann could stop herself, she lurched forward and pressed her lips to Anne's. She gasped with surprise when Anne immediately brought her hand up and grabbed onto the back of her neck, almost desperately holding her in place as she kissed back just as fervently.

Anne almost fell forwards onto Ann when she felt her pry her tongue into her mouth. Anne let out an involuntary groan when Ann gained her bearings and broke apart from the passionate embrace.

"I-" She panted, "You- you can't just _kiss back_ after you- with Mariana-"

Anne closed her eyes with frustration and rubbed a hand across her face. She moved to sit next to Ann, back against the wall and sighed. "We didn't do anything. She saw you calling and decided to give you a one woman show."

Ann turned her head quickly to look at Anne. When she saw the sincere look on Anne's face, she felt her jaw drop open slightly. "Wait- really? Oh Lord." She dropped her head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" She said weakly.

"What? And fit that in before all of the crying and kissing somehow?" Anne laughed, nudging Ann with her elbow.

"Right." Ann said and winced. "I didn't really give you the chance, did I."

"Not that I minded too much." She glanced at Anne and grinned at her. "Definitely didn't mind the kissing part."

"Oh Lord." Ann sighed and out her flushed face in her hands. "This really complicates things, doesn't it?"

Anne gave her a thin lipped smiled and nodded. She took Ann's hand in her own, laced their fingers together, and squeezed lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe i was also inspired by when harry met sally for the mariana scene, we'll never know! let me know what you thought of this installment!


	7. i could easily forgive her pride, if she had not mortified mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here she is..... chapter 7... featuring more pride and prejudice scenes than ever and we even get some (redacted).

"Will you please just post something of the both of you together? Everyone's posted except for the two of you- for God's sake, you're the leads." Washington said from the small footrest Anne allocated for him to sit on in the center of her trailer.

She looked down at him from the long couch running across the length of the room and held back a smile when he shifted uncomfortably. She draped her arms atop of the couch's backrest. "And when do you propose we have the time for something like that?"

Washington sighed heavily and looked at Anne incredulously. "I know the two of you spend time together outside of filming- just- snap a picture together while in costume or something."

Anne narrowed her eyes slightly at him. "Spend a lot of time together outside of filming?"

Washington blinked at Anne. "Well, yes- I ran into Mariana before I dropped by. She said you and Ann Walker were, and I quote, inseparable."

"Of course she did." Anne said and blew out a sigh. "Did she say anything else?"

Washington leveled Anne with an inscrutable gaze and handed her a slip of paper. "I didn't read it, but I think I can guess what's written on it."

Anne opened the slip and barked out a disbelieving laugh at the words staring back at her.

_My place or yours? Impatiently waiting for you to do that thing you do with your tongue._

"Yes, I think whatever it was you were imagining was spot on, Washington." Anne sighed and crumpled the paper in her hand. She shoved the ball of paper in her pocket and crossed one leg over the other. "I suppose you're also about to tell me how bad an idea anything involving her would be."

"Yes." He said and looked away for a moment. He cleared his throat. "If I'd known they were going to hire her as well as Charles Lawton, I would've done something about it."

"You've nothing to worry about. I have no urge to-"

Washington put his hands up, "Right, right, I'm sorry Miss Lister-"

"-continue any relationship-" Anne paused and looked at Washington, raising her eyebrows. "Did you really think I would go into specifics?"

"Of course not." He winced.

"Because I still can." Anne said and laughed when he stood up after pretending to check his watch.

"I've got to go, I'm afraid." Washington said a bit too quickly.

"Right." Anne said and stood up as well.

"Just-" Washington's voice broke off a little, "try not to shag any castmates. This really would be strike three. The Rawson brothers just bought the last of the controlling shares of the agency from their mother."

Anne tried not to let his words visibly affect her as she took his hand, grip a bit tighter than normal, in order to shake it. "Wouldn't dream of it, Washington." She held his hand firmly in place and lowered her voice, "You'll notify me of any other developments within the agency, right?"

Washington nodded. "Of course." He said and clapped his other hand over the back of Anne's.

Anne released his hand and walked over to the door of her trailer to prop it open it for Washington's exit. "Hopefully things work out as intended." She said and inclined her head at him. "Thank you for stopping by, Washington. And for telling me off, as usual."

He gave her a thin lipped smile and walked out of the trailer. "I'll be coming by next week as well."

Anne closed the door after him and leaned against the wood. She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her hand across her face. "You can come out now."

She couldn't contain her amused laugh when Ann tumbled out from underneath the couch, poor mood fading immediately at the sight of Ann splayed on the floor and out of breath.

Ann shot her a glare, weakened slightly by the her flushed face. She put a hand over her rapidly beating heart. "You _knew_ he was coming by, didn't you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Miss Walker. What a ridiculous notion." Anne said, unsuccessfully trying to suppress the glimmer in her eyes as she walked across the trailer and leaned up against the counter. She looked at Ann with affection, "Want to take that picture with me now?"

"Shut up. Do you even know how tight the space underneath your couch is?" Ann lamented and put a hand over her face. "Why couldn't you talk a little more, I felt like the sound of my breathing was magnified by a hundred."

"No one heard your breathing. I'm sorry you had to fit into such a small space, there really wasn't anywhere else for you to hide." Anne said in what she hoped to be a comforting manner.

Ann sighed and propped herself up on her elbows in order to look at Anne properly. "Now that I think about it, why _exactly_ did I even have to hide-"

"I realized this after I let Washington in." Anne said, wincing. "Neither of us were thinking very clearly in the," She cleared her throat, "heat of the moment."

Ann took in a quick breath and found herself blushing at the memory of what had happened moments before Anne had initially let Washington in. "Right-"

_"You need to-" Ann's voice broke off with a moan when Anne bit down lightly on the skin she was just pressing open mouth kisses to. "I can't stay quiet when you do that-"_

_Anne laughed against the skin of her throat and licked a stripe downwards, pulling the collar of Ann's dress down. "Do you want me to stop, Miss Walker?" She said. Ann shivered when the silky material of her cravat tied around her neck lightly brushed against her collarbone._

_"God- no- keep going." Ann said and grappled her hands helplessly across Anne's back as Anne's head continued to descend across her chest. She clenched her thighs together tighter at the feeling of Anne's fingers dipping below the stiff cloth of her corset._

_"What I wouldn't do to get you out of this thing-"_

_Anne growled with frustration and bit down hard enough to leave a faint mark right above the fabric of her corset. Ann let out what could only be described as a loud whining noise._

_"Just touch me- just touch me-" Ann panted, hiking the dress up her thighs, revealing her stockings and regency appropriate white undergarments. Anne quickly fumbled through the excess fabric to move her hand between Ann's thighs, letting out a breathless laugh at the sound Ann made._

_"Have you done this before- with these- dresses-" Ann tried to get out as Anne lightly pressed her fingers down. She gasped at the touch and tightened her arms around Anne._

_"What do you mean?" Anne laughed, ducking to press her lips against Ann's jaw._

_"You're- you just seem awfully familiar with the workings of these types of costumes-" Ann's voice broke off with another gasp when Anne's fingers touched the bare skin of her inner thigh._

_Anne winced slightly, but before she could defend herself she was promptly thrown off of Ann and into the floor when a knock sounded at the door. They looked at each other in panic, still utterly disheveled, costumes askew._

"Did you really have to throw me off of you, though?" Anne sighed, "I can really feel the bruise on my side forming."

Ann looked at Anne with narrowed eyes. "I just spent twenty minutes under your couch while your agent told you off for sleeping with Mariana Lawton. I think you'll survive."

"I'll survive, yes, but maybe I just wanted you to kiss me better." Anne said, grinning at Ann as she gingerly sat down on the couch.

Ann rolled her eyes with faux annoyance and got off from the floor, dusting the back of her dress off. She affixed Ann with a disbelieving stare. "Just one kiss?"

"It's all I ask."

"Shame- I really wanted to finish what we had been doing before we were so rudely interrupted." Ann sighed and bent down to press a chaste kiss to the corner of Anne's suddenly slackened lips.

"We could-"

Ann held up a finger, stopping whatever Anne was about to say. "Uh-uh. I've got a scene in ten minutes. My lunch hour can't stretch out any longer."

"It's more than enough time-"

"Is it though?" Ann asked, raising her eyebrows at Anne. "It's also going to take much longer than ten minutes to fix what you've done to my hair and make-up."

Anne raised her eyebrows at her. "I didn't hear you complaining during."

"My mind was otherwise occupied." Ann said, averting eye contact for a moment. She cleared her throat, "Anyways, what did that note Mariana passed Washington to you say?"

Anne winced. "Hoped you wouldn't mention that." She shifted her hips upwards off of the couch in order to access the pockets in her trousers more easily, not missing the way Ann's eyes zeroed in on the movement. She handed Ann the crumpled note.

Ann unfolded the paper and immediately squeaked, face heating up when she read the words scrawled across the slip of paper. "Well. That's- um-"

"I've no inclination to even respond to this note, Ann."

"Right. Okay." Ann said weakly. She straightened up herself a bit, still avoiding Anne's worried gaze. "I'm, um, going to head out. To film."

Anne sighed and leaned back defeatedly. "Of course." She rubbed her brow where pressure was beginning to build. "I'll see you for our scene at two-" She managed to catch Ann's eyes and smiled, "Can I see you afterwards?"

"Yes. Yes. Of course." Ann breathed out and reddened when she realized how quickly she had answered. She frowned at herself and made her way out of Anne's trailer.

 

* * *

 

Mariana looked at Ann with glee when she approached the last set for the day. "Looking a little worse for wear, Miss Walker." She said.

Ann raised her eyebrows at her. "The cameras aren't rolling yet, you don't need to recite your lines at me." She rolled her eyes when Mariana's attention was directed towards Anne's approach. Her eyes snapped back to look at Ann with surprise.

"Grew a backbone, have you? Does playing Lizzie really inspire you so much?"

Ann suppressed a laugh when Anne sidestepped Mariana's attempt at caressing her dark coat. She inclined her head at Ann, "Miss Walker. How was filming?"

"Good- it was-"

"Did you get my message, Freddie?" Mariana cut in, smiling coyly at Anne.

Before Anne could respond, a bell rang, notifying them to take their marks for the scene. Ann blew out a frustrated breath at Mariana's behavior and sat down at the dining table with the rest of the actors. The first scene went by quickly, with the group of them eating after discussing Jane Bennet's sudden illness. Ann acted secretly elated as Elizabeth that Mr. Bingley was worried about Jane's health. Internally, she was boiling at the sight of Mariana as Miss Bingley sitting next to Anne and acting completely engrossed in their conversation, even though the scene required it.

When the dinner scene finished, Ann stood to the side because Elizabeth had exited the room in order to see to Jane, still sick in bed. The camera focused in on Mariana and the actress sitting next to her playing Mrs. Hurst.

Mariana glanced at Ann before starting her lines. "Her manners are really quite pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of," She paused, thinking for a moment, "pride and impertinence. No conversation, no style, no taste, no beauty." Mariana could barely tamp down on the enjoyment her lines were bringing her. Was she talking about Elizabeth Bennet as Caroline Bingley, or was she talking about Ann Walker as Mariana Lawton? Ann wasn't familiar enough with her acting choices to make any sort of conclusion.

Mrs. Hurst nodded solemnly in agreement. "She has nothing, in short, but being an excellent walker. I shall _never_ forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild." She sighed, putting her chin in her hand in an almost concerned manner.

"She did indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must _she_ be scampering about the country, because her sister has a cold? Her hair so untidy, so blowsy!" Mariana lamented and sighed while shaking her head.

"Yes," The other actress sighed in distress, "and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office."

"Your picture may be very exact, Louisa," the actor for Mr. Bingley said, tilting his head to the side with curiosity, "but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well, when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice."

 _"You_ observed it, Miss Darcy, I am sure," Mariana said, turning to look at Anne and fluttering her eyes slightly much to Ann's dismay. "And I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see _your sister_ make such an exhibition."

Anne sighed and looked at Mariana. "Certainly not."

Mariana barely suppressed a grin. "To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to shew and abominable sort of indifference conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum."

"It shews an affection for her sister that is very pleasing-" Mr. Bingley offered, only to be slightly cut off by his own sister.

"I am afraid, Miss Darcy," Mariana whispered dramatically, "that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her _fine eyes."_ She said almost mockingly.

Anne raised an eyebrow at Mariana. "Not at all, if anything, they were brightened by the exercise."

And with that, the scene was over. Mr. Priestley commended the cast for such a stellar performance the first time around before having the crew set the cameras up in order to shoot a second take with the closer shots. Ann left the set, unable to stomach Mariana having another go at her; character-wise or personally.

She made her way to the refreshments table set up under a tent outside the house and sighed when she saw Mrs. Priestley attempting to flag her down.

"Hello-"

"Ann, I had to tell you- your scenes with Miss Lister as Darcy, absolutely incredible. I could feel whatever charged energy was passing between the two of you through the editing screen."

Ann blinked at her with surprise as she grabbed a water bottle from the table. "Oh- thank you."

"How have the two of you been getting along outside of filming?"

Ann took a sip of her water in an attempt to hide her sudden nervousness. "Just fine- she's very interesting-"

"God, isn't she?" Mrs. Priestley gushed, "The first time we'd talked, she spoke about the benefits of walking, for two hours! And my interest didn't stray once- imagine that!" She punctuated the statement by taking a dainty bite out of the small pastry in her hands. "This series wouldn't be anything without her, I think- without the two of you together." She said quietly and turned to smile at Ann.

"That's- thank you-"

"And," Mrs. Priestley leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "not to bad mouth Miss Lawton's acting abilities, but she was really only added on because of her husband, not the other way around. It's all working out quite alright though- her personality doing much of the work for Caroline Bingley. But I can't help but miss our initial choice." She sighed wistfully.

Even though they both knew that it was Mrs. Priestley's fault for the other actress's early departure, Ann decided to keep her mouth shut on the manner and change the subject. "Are those pastries any good?" She asked lightly, looking at the half eaten dessert in Mrs. Priestley's hands.

"Yes- these are Anne's favorite. From Shibden Cafe. Her sister does all the catering orders for us."

"Really?" Ann asked with surprise, eyebrows raised.

"Well- Anne's very particular, it's just easier to order what she likes. No complaints though when it all tastes absolutely delicious." Mrs. Priestley laughed and handed Ann a couple of pastries from the table, wrapping them in a napkin. "Bring some to Anne, she'll love you forever."

Ann tried to keep herself from flushing at the words and thanked Mrs. Priestley for the pastries.

"The scene should almost be through filming," She said, checking her watch, "you should head back for the next part."

"Right. Thank you." Ann nodded and waved to Mrs. Priestley as she walked back inside and to the set, just as bell on set rang to indicate the filming was over. Her eyes wandered across the set for Anne, lighting up when they made eye contact across the room. She walked over to Anne.

"Miss Walker." She said, suppressing a smile. "How was your little break?"

"Wonderful." Ann deadpanned. "Ran into Mrs. Priestley before I could even take the first sip of my water." She handed the napkin wrapped pastries to Anne. "Courtesy of your not so secret admirer."

Anne let out a bark of laughter and unwrapped the pastries. "Mrs. Priestley?"

"Who else? Did you think I'd really pass anything along from Mariana?"

"How foolish of my to think otherwise, Miss Walker." Anne said and eyed the pastries with interest. "She even put aside an apple tart for me," She sighed, pretending to swoon, "Maybe I should've wooed her instead."

"Mm- you've caused enough trouble already, Miss Lister." Ann said with an amused smile but schooled her expression to become more neutral when she saw Mariana approaching.

"Brought me some pastries, did you?" She asked Anne, before taking the tart she had bitten into and began eating it.

Anne sighed with annoyance. "Thank you for eating my food, Mariana. It's exactly what I wanted."

Mariana winked as she popped the last of the pastry into her mouth and brushed her hands off. "Oh dear," She sighed as she looked at Anne, "you seem to have a little-" She reached out to brush an invisible crumb from the corner of Anne's mouth, dragging her fingers across the surface of her lips. Much to Ann's dismay, Mariana then drew her fingers into her own mouth.

"Are you quite finished, Mariana." Anne sighed, unimpressed.

Mariana looked unphased at the statement and smiled coyly at Anne. The set bell rang once again in order for them to assume their places for the next scene in the parlour room of the large house they were filming in. Ann read over her lines while the cameras were set up.

She turned to look at Anne who was having her hair readjusted for the scene, neatly being pushed back by the stylist in front of her. Anne caught her eye and winked.

Once everything was properly adjusted, Ann took her place at the top of the stairwell and descended once the cameras began to roll.

Her character was invited to join the party in cards but she refused, settling down at the edge of the parlour with a book and using Jane as an excuse for not being in the mood to play.

The actor for Mr. Hurst looked at her with a shocked expression on his face, "Do you prefer reading to cards? That is rather… singular."

"Miss Eliza Bennet," Mariana said with haughtiness, _"utterly despises_ cards. She is a great reader and has no pleasure in anything else."

Ann acted with outrage. "I deserve neither such _praise_ nor _censure,"_ She said, glaring at Mariana, "I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in many things."

The scene continued with Bingley stating that he was glad that she was there for her sickly sister and then moved to the subject of Darcy's sister. Ann put the book in her hand aside as the scene required, for she was now engrossed in the conversation between all the parties present. She sat by the card table to passively watch the game as she listened.

"Is the younger Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" Mariana asked, "Will she be as tall as I am?"

Anne smiled at Mariana, "I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller."

Mariana sighed, "How I long to see her again! I never met anybody who delighted me so much. Such _countenance,_ such _manners!_ And so extremely accomplished for her age- her performance on the piano-forte is exquisite." She gushed. Ann found herself almost enjoying the performance, a rare sight of Mariana acting likable.

"It amazes me," Mr. Bingley said with awe, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished, as they all are."

"All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?" Mariana said, looking at him with confusion.

"Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time without being informed that she was very accomplished."

Anne sighed and turned her head to look at him with a tiredness. "Your list of the common extent of accomplishments has too much truth. But I am far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than a half dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

Ann looked at her with thinly veiled surprise and confusion at her words. "Then, somehow, you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an _accomplished woman."_

"Yes." She said simply, looking at Ann with an inscrutable expression in her eyes, which the camera then closed in on. "I do comprehend a great deal in it."

"Oh certainly!" Mariana exclaimed suddenly, breaking the moment, "A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern language, to deserve the word. And besides all this-" She said imperiously, "she must possess a certain _something_ in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word would be half deserved."

"All this," Anne said, looking at Ann once more, "she must possess. And to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

Ann looked at her with outrage. "I am no longer surprised at your knowledge of _only_ six accomplished women. I rather wonder at your knowing _any."_

"Are you so severe upon your own sex, to doubt the possibility of this?"

"Need I remind you, that you are also a member of said sex?" Ann said looking at her with frustration. "I never saw such a woman, I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united." Each subsequent word looking as if it were physically jabbing Darcy.

The scene had concluded, but Ann barely noticed, eyes still locked with Anne's as the crew set up for another take. She watched Anne's dilated eyes take in her form as she distractedly stood up in order to take her place atop the staircase. Anne's eyes lingered on her collarbone, her neck, her jawline, and finally landing on her lips. Ann watched them slowly drag up to meet her eyes once more. She shakily made her way up the stairs, using the elaborately carved wooden handrail for support, hoping that this would be their last take of the day.

 

* * *

 

It took five more full takes for Ann to finally get her lines right for the alternate camera angles they needed filmed. Three more hours of shifting uncomfortably every time she so much as made eye contact with Anne. The discomfort between her legs was getting more and more difficult to ignore, but she was an actress.

A professional.

The type of person that needily pressed herself up to the object of her desire, against the door of her trailer in the exact moment it clicked shut.

Anne let out a sound of surprise when Ann's incessant lips crashed into hers for a kiss. Her eyes were widened with surprise at the development. But she took it with stride, carding her hands through Ann's hair and pulling her in even closer, thumbs moving to sweep against the skin of Ann's jaw.

"I- god- how am I going to survive this series. All I could think about was what Mariana meant when she said _tongue thing-"_  Ann panted, after pulling away from Anne's mouth. She moved her hands down to fumble at the buttons on Anne's shirt. Anne grinned at her and began removing the cravat with one hand in order to speed up the process.

The process was immediately put on hold when Anne shifted her thigh up to slot in between Ann's legs. The responding groan and hands scrabbling to grab ahold of Anne's shoulders propelled Anne to kiss her once more, muffling the sounds Ann was making.

Ann broke away frustratedly, "Couch- please- I-" She barely managed to get out as Anne dipped her head down to kiss up the side of her neck, tonguing at her pulse. Her nails dug into Anne's shoulders at the sensations.

She gasped with surprise when Anne suddenly pushed her backwards and directed them towards the couch. Within seconds, she found herself on her back as Anne descended downwards, lips dragging against the surface of her skin.

"Is it okay- can I take these off?" Anne said, pausing to look up at Anne when he hands touched the stockings on her legs.

Ann nodded immediately and enthusiastically, kicking her shoes off. Anne chuckled at her excitement. She skimmed her hands up to Ann's thighs, unclipping them from the garters that held them in place. Ann groaned at the feeling and grabbed at Anne's neck for another kiss. Anne's laughter, muffled by the lips pressed to her own, accompanied the sounds of Ann's pleased sighs.

In a moment of incredible courage and insatiable lust, Ann grabbed the hand resting at her waist and pulled it between her legs.

Anne took in a sharp breath through her nose, surprised by the brazen request for her touch. One she immediately yielded to, finding her way through the excess fabric of Ann's undergarments and pressing the palm of her hand firmly between her legs with only one layer of cloth between them. Anne could feel the intense heat and wetness already.

A knock sounded at the door.

"No- god, not again-" Ann whined, shifting her hips up against Anne's hand. "Don't stop-"

Anne pushed the fabric aside and immediately pressed two fingers into Ann. "Wasn't planning on it-" She tried to suppress the noise Ann released with her lips and was almost unsuccessful. She barely had to move her fingers, for Ann's hips were doing most of the work.

The knock sounded again, slightly louder than the last one.

"Anne-" Ann keened, groaning when Anne put her hand on her mouth to quiet her.

"Miss Walker?" Mrs. Priestley's muffled voice made its way through the door. "The crew said you were in here-"

Both of their eyes widened at the sound of Mrs. Priestley's voice. Anne quickly attempted to pull away but was stopped by Ann's hands on her wrist.

She cleared her throat. "One- one second- I'm changing-" Ann looked at Anne pleadingly. Anne looked at Ann with shocked amazement before getting her hint and quickening her fingers. Ann struggled to keep herself from crying out.

It barely took more than a few moments before Ann was shuddering against Anne, letting out little gasping sounds at her release. Anne sighed and slipped her fingers out of Ann. They didn't even take a moment to calm down before they were scrambling to remove Ann's clothing in order for her to change into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. The corset had to remain and Ann hoped the large sweatshirt she was slipping on would hide that fact.

Anne dove underneath the couch just as Ann opened the door, completely out of breath.

"Mrs. Priestley- hello."

Mrs. Priestley looked at Ann oddly, taking in her flushed appearance with a concerned raise of her eyebrows.

"Oh- I- the corset's just a bit tricky to get off." She said nervously and then cleared her throat when she heard a small wheeze of laughter from inside her trailer.

If Mrs. Priestley had heard, she didn't indicate anything. "Right. Well- I was wondering if you'd seen Miss Lister. She disappeared from the set, we were supposed to meet up after filming to go over one more area of the script."

"Miss Lister? No, no." Ann said in an attempted nonchalant manner, "She stopped by for a moment after filming but left. Haven't seen her since."

Mrs. Priestley hummed concernedly. "Very strange." She pulled out her phone, "I'll just give her a call."

Much to Ann's distress, a phone's buzzing sound immediately emitted from inside her trailer.

"I- um, she must've left it here." Ann managed weakly after a moment of silence between them.

"Left her phone." Mrs. Priestley repeated dubiously. Both of them knew that Anne leaving her phone behind was extremely unlikely. She blinked at Ann, as if suddenly seeing her in a new light. "You're playing with fire, Miss Walker." She said, voice lowered.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Ann said after a stunned moment. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go over my lines-"

"Oh, I see- is _that_ what you call it?" Mrs. Priestley laughed in a slightly unhinged manner. She shook her head at Ann. "Goodnight, Miss Walker." Ann swallowed as she watched her spin on her heel and stomp across the lot. She closed the door when Mrs. Priestley disappeared from view.

Barely a second later, Anne rolled out from underneath the couch. She got off the ground and looked at Ann worriedly, "Ann?"

Ann looked at Anne helplessly before beginning to shake with laughter. Anne watched with concern and then amusement as Ann continued laughing at the situation, covering her mouth with her hands.

Once she had barely managed to calm down, Ann looked at Anne with a grin, "Do you want to come home with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i like the idea of keeping the story of p&p pretty much the same, with darcy's wealth as a way for her to get by in the upper echelons without much fanfare, sort of like how anne did while she was in denmark. also, being able to use jane austen's dialogue is really fun.
> 
> let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	8. you must allow me to tell you how ardently i admire and love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's a lot of fun! i promise :^) also, consider buying me a coffee so i can continue writing at 3am instead of sleeping like a normal human being [here](http://ko-fi.com/fujifilms) !!!!!!!!!!

Ann found herself pressed up against the door of her apartment the moment it shut, mirroring her actions almost exactly, less than an hour ago in her own trailer. She groaned at the sensation of Anne's relentless kisses against her neck.

She shifted impatiently, hands grappling at the juncture of Anne's shoulder blades as the discomfort between her thighs became even more pronounced at their proximity. They had to behave themselves on the drive over, for the moment Anne's hand had smoothed against the surface of her thigh, the car jerked into the next lane over. Thankfully, no other cars were immediately around them, but the action itself scared them enough that Anne firmly gripped onto the sides of her seat. As if to stop her from reaching out and touching Ann once more.

Which pleased Ann to no end, regardless of the fact that her reckless driving could have had a much worse outcome. Even in the fading light, she could see Anne's knuckles turning white at the effort it took not to let go of the seat and touch Ann.

Ann's thoughts immediately shifted away from the drive over when Anne took hold of the back of her thighs and lifted her legs off of the ground in one swift and powerful motion. She gasped with surprise and wrapped her legs around Anne's hips, her back pressed against the door with even more force. 

"God- Anne-" She said as she subtly thrust her hips up against Anne's abdomen.

Anne took a sharp breath at the movement and let out an incredulous laugh, "You've- you've no idea the effect you have on me, do you?"

The back Ann's head thumped against the door when Anne deliberately ground herself forwards with the words. "I- What?" She gasped, slightly taken aback. Effect she had on Anne?

"You don't-" Anne started but laughed with surprise. "You have no idea, do you? At the second look you gave me out of the corner of your eye, I almost had you pull over."

"What? Pull over?" Ann asked distractedly when Anne leaned forward to drag her lips up her neck once again. A shiver ran up her spine when Anne's lips brushed against the shell of her ear.

"Yes. Pull over." She bit down lightly on Ann's earlobe and pulled. Her breath felt hot against Anne's ear. "Wanted to taste you so badly I almost went for it on the side of the road."

That immediately tore a gasp out of Ann and she bucked _hard_ in reaction. Her head tilted backwards and thumped lightly against the door. "I would've-" She panted, "I would've pulled over. If you asked."

Anne groaned and pulled Ann head back upright for a desperate kiss. Her hands raked through Ann's hair, pulling slightly when Ann sucked Anne's lower lip into her mouth.

After a moment, Anne hesitantly pulled back. "Bedroom- Where-"

"At the end of the hall." Ann said, rocking her hips when she felt herself being pressed against the door a bit harder at the words.

Ann's hands scrambled to hold onto Anne's shoulders when she was suddenly spun away from the door, legs still wrapped around Anne as she marched them across her apartment. The hands on the underside of her thighs flexed slightly, inciting a groan from Ann and propelling her to grab the back of Anne's head for another kiss. Anne stumbled at the sudden assault on her lips but responded in kind, enthusiastically kissing back after a moment.

"You're-" Anne broke apart for a moment before Ann continued to kiss her. She pulled back again. "You're going to have to stop- if you want to get to your bedroom-"

Ann flushed and shut her eyes with embarrassment. "Right, right." She missed the look of affection Anne gave her at her sudden bout of bashfulness. 

She leaned in to kiss her once more on the lips with reassurance. "I wasn't complaining, darling." 

Ann let out a laugh and raked her teeth against her bottom lip when she opened her eyes to look at Anne again. "Keep walking or we really will have to do this on the floor." 

"Shame. Another time, then."

 

* * *

 

Anne took her mark at the sound of the bell and hesitantly allowed Mariana to take her arm. She glanced around the garden where their scene was being filmed, Mrs. Priestley's absence being so noticeable that moments of silence on set felt almost suffocating. 

"No need to be so flighty, Fred." Mariana said lowly as she tightened her grip around Anne's bicep. Anne glanced over to where Ann was standing, noticing the way she looked everywhere except for where she and Mariana were standing.

She sighed. "Behave yourself. If not for my sake, then at least your own." She tilted her head in the direction of where Mariana's husband was shifting nervously by one of the cameras. 

Action was called and a man strapped to a stabilizing camera rig followed the two of them as they ambled slowly through the shrubbery of their set for Pemberly's gardens. 

Like most scenes with Mariana, her character continued to provoke Anne's with either prodding her to dislike Elizabeth and talking about their future marriage. Very appropriate casting, now that Anne really thought about it.

"I hope you will give your mother-in-law a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding tongue-" Mariana glanced at Anne with at the utterance of the word, "and if you can compass it, do cure the younger girls of running after the officers. And, if I may mention so _delicate_ a subject, endeavor to check that little something, bordering on conceit and impertinence, which _your lady_ possesses."

Anne looked at her with subtle incredulousness, "Have you anything else to propose for my domestic felicity?"

"Oh yes," Mariana smiled at her primly and readjusted her grip on Anne's arm, sliding upwards slightly. Her thumb, out of view from the camera, swept back and forth against the fabric of Anne's white shirt. "Do let the portraits of your uncle and aunt Philips be placed in the gallery at Pemberley. Put them next to your great uncle the judge. As for your…" She trailed off and sighed, looking away from Anne, "Elizabeth's picture, you must not attempt to have it taken, for what painter could do justice to those beautiful eyes?" Mariana's voice edged on mockery.

Anne feigned ignorance as Darcy, "It would not be easy, indeed, to catch their expression; but their color and shape, and the eyelashes, so remarkably fine, might be copied."

A camera closed in on Mariana's hand tensing at her side at Darcy's words. Clenching at her dress and then falling limply in an attempt to relax herself. Before any responses could be vocalized, Ann and the actress for Mrs. Hurst came upon them precisely as the scene required.

"I did not know that you intended to walk." Mariana said, looking at the two of them nervously, for Miss Bingley had reason to fear that Elizabeth had overheard their conversation. 

Mrs. Hurst gave her a meaningful look, "You used us abominably ill, running away without telling us you were coming out." She moved to take Darcy's free hanging arm, deliberately leaving Elizabeth to stand on the path alone. 

Darcy looked between all of them and startled a bit at the rudeness of the sisters, knowing that the path along the garden was only just wide enough for three. "This walk is not wide enough for our party- we'd better go into the same avenue-"

"No, no." She cut her off at the end of her statement, clearly itching to leave them where they were, "Stay where you are. You are," Ann breathed out a small laugh, "charmingly grouped, and appear to uncommon advantage. The picturesque would be absolutely _spoilt_ by admitting a fourth." She spun on her heel and walked out of the frame, much to Darcy's chagrin and the delight of Miss Bingley.

 

* * *

 

Anne once again found herself at Ann's mercy, this time underneath her on her couch in her trailer. Ann, straddling her and grinding downwards on her lap. Her fingers ran through Anne's hair, incrementally tightening as their kissing became more passionate with every passing moment.

They broke apart for air, panting. Anne groaned and closed her eyes. "We probably- shouldn't- at work-"

Ann cut her off with another kiss. "You're _not_ stopping." She dragged her lips down Anne's neck where she had hastily untied her cravat the moment she had pushed Anne onto the couch.

"What's gotten you so worked up?" Anne said, tilting her head to the side in order to allow Ann more access. She jumped a bit when Ann lightly nipped at her pulse point.

"Mariana- just putting her hands all over you like she has the right to-"

"Because it's your right?" Anne asked and amusedly raised her eyebrows.

Ann pulled back and looked Anne without even an ounce of humor in her expression. "Yes." She rucked her dress up past her thighs, revealing that she had forgone the large undergarments for her costume. "Now can we _please_ continue?" When the other woman remained frozen, she sighed as if she was being put out and shucked the rest of the dress off of herself. 

Leaving her in only her corset and stockings.

Anne, now having no reason to voice any dissent, promptly brought her hand up to cup in between Ann's legs and muffled the resounding moan from the other woman with her lips.

 

* * *

 

"Having trouble with your work wife?"

Anne's eyes snapped up from the script she was reviewing just to catch Mariana's responding smirk to her quick reaction. She sighed and dropped the script onto the small table in front of her. "What makes you say that."

"You haven't noticed how she refuses to look in your direction?" Mariana asked, tilting her head coyly at Anne.

"She probably just doesn't want to look at you." Anne scoffed, deflecting the question. Mariana's narrowing eyes indicated that she knew Anne was skirting around the matter. 

"Did you already somehow ruin any prospective relationship? My, my, your seduction skills really have declined over the past few years."

Anne laughed internally at her words and hummed noncommittally. She leant forward to pick up her script again, only for it to be snatched away from her by Mariana. Anne sighed and looked at Mariana, "Do you really have to throw a tantrum every time I don't pay enough attention to you?" 

Mariana bit down on the inside of her cheek, trying not to react to Anne's words. "You need to stop deluding yourself," She leant forward and hissed into Anne's ear, "She's not interested in you like that."

"And you are? Interested in me like that?"

"If you'd actually listen, I've been trying to tell you from the beginning-"

"Interested enough to divorce Charles?"

Mariana faltered in response to Anne's question. But Anne continued with her line of questioning regardless of the pallor that overtook Mariana. 

"Enough to marry me instead? To live openly with me? To brave the scrutiny?"

"I- you know I can't, not yet, not until Charles dies or-"

"Mm." Anne sat back in her seat and beckoned for her stylist to come over in order to fix her hair, effectively ending the conversation between her and Mariana with another person present.

Mariana gave them a thin lipped smile and quickly walked across the room to where she noticed her husband was standing. He averted his eyes, pretending that he had not watched the whole exchange. Anne suppressed a smile at the sound of their furious whispers carrying over to her.

"Cameras rolling in two!" Someone yelled from the front of the room as Anne resumed to look over her script. Everyone scrambled to their marks. Anne looked up briefly to subtly raise her eyebrows at Ann as she settled into a couch in the parlour their characters were now occupying. She handed her script to a crew member and opened the prop book sitting by her thigh. Mariana settled down next to her.

The bell on set rang and the scene commenced.

Everyone in the party, excluding Miss Bingley was set with enjoying the afternoon reading or napping. And despite her protests, voiced very well with Mariana's whiny tone, no one was interested in playing cards or conversating. She huffed before settling down with the second volume of the book Darcy was reading.

The silence was broken every few seconds with her asking Darcy about the book she was reading, only to receive frustratingly short replies from the other woman. 

Anne internally mused to herself how ridiculously similar her earlier exchange with Mariana had been, the way she was vying for her attention.

"How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! I declare, after all, there is no enjoyment like reading!" She stopped herself and expectantly glanced around the room, face falling minutely when no one responded to her exclamation. She sighed, tossing her book aside, and tried a different approach, "By the by, Charles, are you really serious in meditating a dance at Netherfield? I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the _present_ party." 

Mr. Bingley perked up at the sound of his name but glanced away when he saw the narrowed gaze aimed at him. 

She continued despite this, "I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a ball would be rather a punishment than a pleasure."

"If you mean Darcy, she may go to bed if she chooses, before it begins." He said looking at her and then glancing at Miss Darcy, still reading her book.

Mariana shook her head with exasperation, "I should like balls infinitely better if they were carried on in a different manner. There is something so… insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting." Her eyes flitted around the room before landing on Anne once more. "It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing made the order of the day."

The actor for Mr. Bingley clumsily attempted to look like he agreed with her. Anne almost cut the scene off and had them restart, but held herself back. "Much more rational, my dear Caroline, but it would not be near so much like a ball." He said.

At this she stood up and walked along the room in order to gain the attention of Darcy. She, of course, was unsuccessful. In a bout of desperation she turned to Elizabeth and said, "Miss Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about the room. I assure you it is very refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude."

She agreed to Miss Bingley's request, to the surprise of everyone. Darcy looking up now from her book as they walked around the room. This obviously did not escape Miss Bingley's attention. Nor did she miss the very real look of lust in Anne's eyes as she took in the sight of Ann from every angle as she walked back and forth.

"Join us, Miss Darcy," Mariana implored after hearing the sound of her close her book and put it on the table in front of her.

"No thank you," Anne sighed looking at them with an indiscernible expression on her face, "I have gathered two motives for your choosing to walk up and down the room together. My joining would surely interfere with one of them."

Mariana and Ann looked at each other with confusion. "What could she mean?" Mariana whispered to Ann. "Can you understand her meaning at all?"

"Not at all," She said with unhidden contempt for Darcy, "She probably means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing her will be to ask nothing of it."

Miss Bingley, of course, much like Mariana, incapable of wanting to disappoint Darcy in any way, shape, or form asked anyways. Ann held back an eyeroll.

"I have not the smallest objection to explaining them," She said, putting her chin in her hand as she watched them walk about the room. "You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other's confidence, and have secret affairs to discuss," Anne raised her eyebrows lightly at the two women in good humor, "Or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking."

Ann froze slightly at the words, Mariana stumbling next to her due to her misstep. 

"If it is the first," Anne continued, "I should be completely in your way. And if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire."

The words induced polar reactions from the two women; Elizabeth's eyes going wide at the brazen words, from another woman no less! And Miss Bingley feigning offense but fluttering her eyes coquettishly at Darcy before saying, "Oh, shocking! How shall we punish you for such a speech?"

Mr. Priestley cut the scene before anyone else could reply. He walked over to Mariana. "A bit too on the nose, Miss Lawton. Try looking slightly less," He cleared his throat and glanced back at Charles Lawton next to one of the cameras, "interested." He settled on.

Ann stifled a laugh and thanked a crew member for the proffered bottle of water. They ran the scene a few more times at the direction of Mr. Priestley and Mr. Lawton, taking a bit longer to complete the scene than scheduled and Ann mused to herself that it was probably due to Mrs. Priestley's absence. After the last run through, she worriedly gestured to the front of the set to Anne and let out a nervous breath when Anne shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

Right as they were walking off the set for their break they were stopped by Mr. Priestley himself. They waited until the set filtered out and they were the only ones remaining.

"Eliza informed me about our little… predicament." He said delicately, glancing away from Anne when he expression settled onto something close to contempt.

"Predicament?" Anne scoffed. 

Mr. Priestley sighed and put his hands up in surrender. "Not my words, Miss Lister. I managed to convince her to keep quiet about whatever she had seen but, knowing her, there really aren't any guarantees about any sort of discretion."

Anne cursed under her breath. 

"So," He sighed and rubbed at his forehead, "your only real option here is to cease any type of relationship."

"Really." Anne said lowly. "According to whom."

"Your contracts."

Ann put a placating hand on Anne's shoulder after her moment of initial shock had passed. She looked back at Mr. Priestley. "Surely, that can't be the only option."

He winced and glanced away for a moment. "It's, well, it's the only sensible option."

"It's what Mrs. Priestley wants, am I correct?" Anne said. 

Mr. Priestley sighed in response. "You have-" His voice sounded as if each word afforded him a great amount of pain, "other options."

"Pray tell." Anne said, tilting her head mockingly at the man.

"You can continue _discreetly_ and make Eliza believe that you two had stopped having relations,"

"Or?" Ann asked.

"Or you publicly announce yourselves as a couple. If you claim that you had been seeing each other before production started, technically no rules of your contracts have been broken." Mr. Priestley said and looked at them regretfully. "I can't really promise support from Eliza, but she wouldn't jeopardize her project by revealing a scandal."

"A scandal. Are those are our only options?" Anne said flatly.

He nodded and looked at them sympathetically. Anne bristled under the gaze. 

"I understand that this is a," Mr. Priestley cleared his throat, "new development, and none of the options are ideal but I will keep whatever decision you make in confidence."

Anne let out a laugh. "Right, okay."

"Thank you." Ann said helplessly. He nodded and made his exit from the set. She looked at Anne after a moment who was still fuming a bit after the conversation. "We should talk about this soon."

Anne sighed, deflating slightly. "I know- I just-" She looked up at Ann sadly, "Sometimes I wish I never became an actor. Normal people don't have to deal with these types of situations."

Ann hummed and gave the other woman one last comforting stroke on the arm before letting her hand fall limply to her side. "I need to go to my last shoot but we really should talk about this afterwards."

"Of course." Anne nodded and gave her a thin lipped smile. "I'll be in my trailer."

 

* * *

 

Anne groaned with frustration as she entered her trailer, dropping down on her couch face first. She groaned again. What right did Mrs. Priestley have to make such demands? Anne knew she would have to call Washington in order for him to go through her contract before she could make any sort of decision.

Even though she already knew what she wanted.

If there was anyone she had relations with that was willing to go public, it would be Ann. Maybe not this soon, but she had hope yet.

Anne rolled onto her back, undoing her cravat and unbuttoning the top few buttons of her shirt. Her phone on the small coffee table in front of the couch began to buzz. She sighed and blindly reached out to grab it, answering before reading the contact name.

"Hello?"

 _"Anne?"_ Marian's voice said weakly from the other end of the line.

Anne quickly sat up. "Marian? What's happened?"

The sound of Marian letting out a tumultuous sigh filled the sound of the speaker. _"He- I-"_

"Marian, do you need me to come over?"

 _"No! No-"_ Her voice broke off. Anne stood up from the couch.

"Where are you?"

 _"Cafe."_ She said after a moment of hesitation. _"I closed it early."_

"Alright- I'm on my way. Stay where you are." Anne said, throwing her things into her bag quickly.

Mariana groaned tiredly and ended the call. Anne scrambled to remove her costume and put on her regular clothing as quickly as she could. Before she left she sent Ann a text, letting her know that she was at Shibden Cafe for Marian. She regretfully looked at the message, wishing that they could've had their conversation sooner. With a sigh, Anne gathered her things and shut the lights off behind her.

 

* * *

 

"Marian?" Anne called out into the darkness of the cafe, latching the lock at the entrance so nobody could come barging in.

"Over here." Marian's voice carried from the corner of the sitting area. She occupied a small seating arrangement, tissues spread over the surface of the table. Anne walked over to her and gingerly sat down in the seat across from her.

"What exactly happened-" She paused when Marian blew her nose loudly.

"He found another woman."

"He- what?" Anne asked, taken aback.

"He's also going to use the same ring to propose to _Jessica."_ Marian said in a mocking tone. "As soon as possible."

Anne laughed. "Over my dead body. You're getting it back. And then selling it."

"Well it's not exactly my choice." She snapped and then sighed. "You were right. Now you can say 'I told you so', I know you're dying to."

Anne looked at Marian sadly and hesitantly patted the back of her hand in comfort. "I wouldn't do that." 

"Two surprises in one day! Lucky me." Marian said and jerked her hand away from Anne. 

"What exactly happened?" Anne tried gently.

"Hm. Where to start? Came home from a long day of disasters at the cafe, espresso machine broke down, only to find him atop of another woman. And-" She let out a hysterical laugh, "get this- instead of explaining himself in any sort of intelligible way, he tells me he's leaving me for this other woman- _who is topless on my couch-_ and that he'd like the ring back in order to propose to her, thank you very much." Marian breathed out with finality.

Anne sat looking at her with wide eyes. "He- _really?"_  

"You think I'd make that up- something that embarrassing-"

"No- of course not." Anne stood up suddenly, chair behind her screeching against the hardwood floor. 

Marian winced, "What-"

She turned to look at Marian with an intensity she'd never seen before. "What I'm wondering," Anne said deliberately and slowly, inciting a shiver from Marian, "is _exactly_ how he's still alive and breathing after such a display."

Marian gaped at Anne for a few seconds, mouth opening and then closing a few times as she tried to formulate how to respond. 

Anne snapped her fingers in Marian's face. "Do you know where he is?"

"I- He's- probably still at my apartment."

"Disgusting. Of course he is." Anne ground out. She dug her phone out of her pocket.

"What are you doing-" Marian shut her mouth when Anne put her finger up as she put the phone to her ear.

"Booth." She barked out. "I need a favor from you."

 

* * *

 

Booth pulled up to Marian's apartment, idling the car by the curb. He put it into park and let out a deep breath. "Are you sure about this-" He turned to look at Anne who was flexing her right hand in the seat next to him. "We're not here to assault him, are we?!" 

Anne smiled at him sardonically. "No promises, John." 

He let out a sound of surprise. "I didn't exactly agree to that."

"Why exactly do you think I brought you along, John. For your wit?" Anne asked, opening her door and stepping outside. He groaned and opened his door after a moment. 

"Are you even sure he's still here?"

"His ugly Jaguar is parked up front." Anne said and pushed the key into the lock of the apartment building's entrance. Booth sighed and followed her inside when he heard the sound of her footfalls stomping up the stairs.

Five storeys later and utterly out of breath, Booth ignored the pitying look Anne threw him as they arrived in front of Marian's apartment door.

"Maybe you should've just stayed in the car." She muttered before raising her fist in order to knock on the door.

He let out a noise of protest, "Wait- just let me- catch my breath-"

"Of course," She said and then promptly knocked on the door.

"Right." Booth sighed and tried to straighten up when he heard the sound of the lock disengaging. The door cracked open and he watched with horror as Anne shoved her way inside in one forceful movement before the man inside could close the door.

"You _utter_ piece of _garbage-"_

Booth startled and ran into the apartment in order to close the door to stop anyone in building from hearing too much. He took in the sight of Anne looming over a horrified man sprawled on the floor. A woman sitting on the couch stood up in surprise.

"The _only_ thing stopping me from killing you right now is Mr. Booth here. I wouldn't have brought a witness if I really wanted you dead."

"Miss- Miss Lister if you'd let me explain-"

"No." Anne said flatly. "Your actions have explained enough." Her eyes shot up to glare at the woman attempting to slowly sneak out. "Sit." 

The woman sat down at Anne's firm command.

"Now," Anne said casually, "Marian is going to get that... engagement ring-" She silenced Abbott's protests with a withering look. "And you're never going to contact her again."

"She can't have the engagement ring," He tried weakly after Anne had finished speaking. "I spent-"

"I don't care how much you spent, Mr. Abbott. Marian is keeping it. Unless you want me to think of a more severe punishment?" She said flexing her hand opened and closed at her side. Booth watched, intimidated himself at her display. 

"No, no, no- that's- that's fair. Miss Lister." Abbott glanced at Booth nervously. Booth just raised his eyebrows at him and crossed his arms, leaning against the front door. It was nice not being on the receiving end of Anne's ire.

She held out her hand. "Ring."

"I don't have it-" Abbott started but was cut off by Anne once again.

"You." She said tersely at the woman on the couch and quickly strode across the room. "Give me the ring."

The woman squeaked and fumbled to slip the gigantic ring off of her finger and give it to Anne.

"Now," Anne said and smiled almost too sweetly at Abbott and his mistress as she slipped the ring into her pocket. "Leave."

The two of them scrambled onto their feet, Booth barely having enough time to move out of the way before they ran out the door. 

He looked back at Anne. She raised her eyebrows. "Went well, don't you think?"

"No assault charges against either of us, so I'm counting it as successful." 

"That's the spirit." Anne said, grinning at him. She rolled her shoulders back to loosen the tension she held there. "God, I needed that."

Booth gave her a weak smile.

 

* * *

 

Anne raised her hand to knock on Ann's apartment door. The moment her closed fist made contact with the painted wood, it swung open.

She blinked at Ann with surprise. "I- Hi. I'm sorry I didn't text before dropping by-"

Ann cut her off with a soft kiss, hands cupping her cheeks. Her thumbs brushed against Anne's face affectionately. She shook her head and smiled. "Don't apologize. I missed you."

"Already?" Anne asked teasingly.

"Of course." She said sweetly. Anne's heart constricted in her chest at the words. She then beckoned Anne into her apartment. "How did things go with Marian?"

"Good- I think. I'll have to check on her again later. I might've scared the living hell out of her ex fiance, though."

Ann laughed in surprise. "That's how you spent the rest of your day? Threatening him?"

"Well, I had Booth's help- sort of." Anne said, "He just stood there menacingly as I lashed out at Mr. Abbott and his mistress." She chuckled at the memory.

"My, my, you must be hungry after all that excitement. I just finished making some chicken. Would you like some?"

"Oh- yes, that'd be very nice, thank you."

Ann smiled at her and gestured for her to sit at the small table that had eaten together the first time Anne had come over. Ann put the plate of food down in front of Anne and tucked into her own meal. "You caught me right as I was about to start eating."

Anne took a bite of the food and hummed at the taste. "Lucky me." 

They completed their meals in comfortable silence, looking up at each other every few moments as if they couldn't keep their eyes off of the other. Ann blushed the few times their eyes met over the table. Anne extended her leg slightly under the table in order to touch her leg to Ann's. 

"Tea?" Ann asked, gathering their empty plates and putting them in her sink to wash later.

Anne nodded and moved to the couch while Ann prepared two cups. She watched with amusement as Ann carefully poured the boiling water from the kettle and added a small amount of cream to each cup. She walked over  and handed Anne one, who thanked her and immediately put it on the small table beside the arm of the couch.

"I wanted to-" She cleared her throat and turned to look at Ann properly, "I wanted to talk about our options. Moving forward."

"Right. Yes," Ann said and looked at her hesitantly. 

"I know- that- that I'd like, in an ideal world, someone who would be happy to call herself my," Anne cleared her throat again, "my wife. Publicly, I mean."

Ann looked at her with wide eyes. "You-"

"Oh God- that came out wrong-" Anne quickly backtracked and winced, "I meant in the future-"

"Right," Ann let out a nervous breath, "So you're not proposing."

"You almost sound disappointed, darling. But I mean," Anne pulled out the gaudy engagement ring she took from John Abbott from her pocket, "I could be."

Ann looked at her with shock. "Isn't that-"

"Marian's ridiculous engagement ring?" Anne laughed, "It is."

"You- I-" Ann stuttered out and then laughed. "That's some way of asking me if I wanted to be serious about our relationship."

She gave her an indiscernible smile and pocketed gigantic the ring, "Did it work?"

"I- actually- yes, I think so. I do want to be- serious, I mean. Just-"

Anne looked at her with surprise and then almost disappointment, "Just what?" 

"It's a bit early still. In our relationship. To announce anything, I think." Ann said nervously, "So rather than deciding now, could we wait- a few months?"

Anne blinked a few times, "A few months?"

"Is it not, almost exactly like a proposal? And-" She smiled at Anne, "would it not be prudent, in these circumstances, for us to fully consider everything-" She broke off with a giggle when Anne audibly sighed with relief. 

"Of course- Of course it would be." Anne said, smiling. "We need to review the terms of our contracts anyways- be more discreet on set."

Ann nodded in agreement.

"I've been," Anne said softly, looking at Ann once again, "I've been burned many times in relationships. As long as I have reason to hope that in a few months-"

"Oh, I think- I think you have every reason to hope." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you thought of the chapter! weaving gentleman jack canon with pride & prejudice AND a modern actress au has been surprisingly fun!!!


	9. but if i do not take your likeness now, i may never have the opportunity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a challenger approaches? oh god... you'll see. thanks to all of you for the continued support!! this chapter is brought to you by the wonderful people who bought me [coffees](https://ko-fi.com/fujifilms)! 3am writing sprees somehow turned into an all night production thanks to you all.

"Miss Walker?"

"Yes?" Ann turned at the sound of her name, looking up from the script she was studying in her hand. Anne, sitting across the room, glanced up from her tablet, barely pausing whatever she was tapping out on the screen.

The two of them had just settled down for their break, deciding to spend time outside of their trailer together, for Mrs. Priestley had decided to make a reappearance back onto the set. They tended to find themselves in more compromising positions when left alone, whether planned or not. That meant they had to take their breaks separately or in the common hall area where the least amount of filming was done.

Thomas Ainsworth smiled at her, "Would you mind doing a cold read with me?"

That also meant people like Thomas Ainsworth could bother them.

"Oh. Alright." Ann said after a moment of hesitation. She put the bag of grapes she was snacking on down by her feet. "Which part do you want to read through?"

Ainsworth pursed his lips. "The proposal? I know we've got a ways to go before that but I wanted to start getting a feel for it."

Ann looked back down at her script and began to leaf through it, stopping when she reached the scene. "Alright, start wherever you'd like."

He cleared his throat and opened his mouth before furrowing his brows and looking around the room. His eyes focused on Anne. "Miss Lister- would you mind reading for Mrs. Bennet? Just a few lines."

Anne blinked at him and gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look. "Do you make it a habit to bother as many people as humanly possible, Mr. Ainsworth?"

"Excuse me?" He asked, slightly taken aback.

She sighed. "I'm in the middle of working on something, as was Miss Walker. That is, until you decided to demand attention."

"I'm not sure what you mean-"

Anne heaved out a sigh, "Alright, let me put this simply. No I will not read for you. And neither will Miss Walker-"

"Anne." Ann cut in suddenly, "It's alright. I should practice this part anyways." She lightly smiled at Ainsworth.

Anne felt as if a brick had settled into the pit of her stomach. She clenched her jaw and nodded tersely in Ann's direction before looking back down at the tablet in her hands.

Ainsworth let out an anxious laugh. "We'll just skip that part then."

The grip Anne had on her tablet tightened.

He cleared his throat. "Almost as soon as I entered the house, I singled you out as the companion of my life." Ainsworth looked up at Ann with definitely too much emotion for a cold read. She held back a shiver. "But before I am run away with by my feelings on the subject, perhaps," He inched closer to her and took her hand, "it would be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying- and moreover, for coming to Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife, as I certainly did."

Ann tried to wrestle her hand from his grip but was unsuccessful. She looked helplessly to where Anne was sitting, very nearly letting out an audible groan when she saw that Mariana had basically materialized out of thin air.

_Look this way, look this way, look this way-_

Ainsworth cleared his throat. "Are you distracted?" He asked breaking character and the continuation of Mr. Collin's monologue as to why they should marry, "Would you like to go somewhere more private-"

"No!" Ann said too quickly. Anne looked up at the almost desperate exclamation as she continued to say something to Mariana. "No- it's not the location-" She slipped her hand out of his suddenly lax grip. "I'm just thinking about my next shoot- maybe we should go over this when we get closer to filming."

"Oh." Ainsworth said, dropping his hand. "That- that makes sense, actually. Stays fresher that way." He tilted his head at her. "Raincheck, then?"

Ann held back a shudder when he saw his eyes trail downwards slightly. "Okay." She hoped that he would forget that she had agreed. "I've, um, got a meeting. To go to."

He nodded disappointedly and sat down in the chair she was just occupying. Ann quickly gathered her things and glanced at Anne desperately as she exited the room and made her way to her trailer.

 

* * *

 

Anne caught her just as she was leaving her trailer for her next shoot. Twenty minutes alone, pacing back and forth across the entire length of the room.

"Woah-" Anne exclaimed jumping back as the door had almost crashed in to her. "Lord- I'm sorry it took so long. I had just managed to pry myself away from Mariana's claws."

Ann let out a surprised chuckle. "I- that's alright. We don't have to spend every moment on set together. It'd arise suspicion."

"Preaching to the choir. Mrs. Priestley threw me one of the _dirtiest_ looks I'd ever received in my life- But I just wanted to check on you. You seemed a bit shaken when you left the main hall."

They began slowly walking in the direction of their next shoot. "Yes- yes. I'm fine." Ann said, not wanting to worry Anne. "I just panicked when I realized how much I needed to practice my future scenes." The fib came out so naturally, it almost surprised Ann.

"I wouldn't worry myself too much about that. You've been doing brilliantly so far." Anne said, smiling at her. She pushed up her sleeve after a moment and checked her watch. "Shit- are we supposed to be filming in the town area?"

"Oh Lord," Ann blanched, "I think so." The town was a good fifteen minute walk from the trailer lot.

"We've only got five minutes to get there-" Anne took Ann's hand and began running, much to Ann's dismay. She, of course, immediately stumbled on the hem of her dress. Thank goodness Anne was still holding onto her, or she'd have immediately fallen onto her face.

They made it just in time, completely out of breath, prying their hands apart as they came into view of the cast. Anne cleared her throat as she and Ann were ushered to quickly get their hair touched up.

In one big rush, everyone found their marks and began to act naturally, a hum of chatter flowing through the air. The complexity of this scene required a great deal more careful planning and choreography in order for all the extras to fit in seamlessly. 

Ann caught a glimpse of Anne mounting a horse, shooing away the horse tamer's helping hand and putting a foot in the stirrup before swinging her other leg over in one smooth motion. Her eyes involuntarily fluttered at the sight and she roughly swallowed. 

Ann barely managed to snap out of it when action was called. She began to slowly amble down the street with the three actresses playing her sisters, a camera on a track following their movements from beside them as they idly chatted. Men in red military coats passed them and caught the sisters' eyes, along with beautiful articles of clothing in shop windows. Two specific military men walking the street had them all freeze in place. One being a man that one of the sisters had known, and the other a stranger.

They all crossed the street in order to run into the men. Mr. Denny, her sister Lydia's friend, introduced the stranger as Mr. Wickham and as Ann laid her eyes on him, she was struck with the realization that she had known the actor at one point.

An ex-boyfriend of her real sister, however many years before the accident in Italy, Christopher Sutherland. She couldn't remember the details of their relationship, much to her sudden frustration, as she was unable to remember if he had been the one that had thrown a fit when her sister ended things or if it was another man that she was remembering. He smiled at her pleasantly, nodding slightly in recognition, eyes crinkling in the corners and continuing their short introduction for the cameras. 

Ann blinked away from him when she heard Darcy and Bingley's horses trot through the street. Upon noticing the Bennet sisters, they directed themselves towards them. The camera panned on the sisters' faces as she was struck with the realization of how strange the other woman was, straddling the horse in riding trousers, rather than sitting side saddle as ladies normally did. Lydia nudged Kitty at the sight, exchanging a look of confusion.

"Miss Bennet," Mr. Bingley said, inclining his head at Jane and then glancing at the other sister and smiling, before returning his eyes to her.

Miss Darcy wiped a hand across her brow, unbothered by the odd looks the townspeople were throwing her from up on her horse. She glanced downwards, eyes naturally finding Elizabeth's. She almost smiled but turned white as a sheet when she had noticed who the sisters were talking to. Mr. Wickham, catching Darcy's widened eyes, froze as well, a sweat forming at his hairline. 

Within moments, Darcy turned her horse away from the group, signaling for Mr. Bingley to finish up and follow her away from the group. It seemed as though no one else had caught the exchange between Darcy and Wickham. 

 

* * *

 

"I wanted to stop by and say hello. Old acquaintances, and all that."

Ann looked up at the sound of Sutherland's voice and smiled, "I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, it just struck me that we knew each other while we were filming."

He laughed. "I could see that. No amount of acting can disguise a look of recognition in the eyes." Sutherland pointed to his eye with an index finger in good humor.

"Maybe I'm not as good of an actress as I thought." Ann laughed.

"No, no, I didn't mean for it to come off like that. Surprise often overrides our other emotions, nothing to be concerned about." He said helpfully. 

"Well, it is nice to see you," Ann said after a moment. "I don't keep in touch with many people I knew from before, other than family of course."

Sutherland nodded sympathetically. "For- for what it's worth, I did watch the funeral proceedings on television. I didn't know if anyone wanted me there but-"

"No- that's- that's alright." Ann said quickly. "I'm just glad you understand. At least a little."

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder a touch too tightly, "Thank you."

 

* * *

 

"I didn't realize you could ride a horse." Ann said as she looked over Anne's shoulder as she stirred the pot of risotto. "Or cook, actually."

Anne let out an amused breath. "I have many talents." She made a sound of protest when Ann snatched the wooden spoon from her hand and brought it up to her mouth for a quick taste.

Ann made an exaggerated noise of approval at the taste. "Oh, clearly." She dropped the spoon back into the pot. "And you've been having me cook this whole time?"

"And deprive myself of seeing you in that apron of yours? Absolutely not." She yelped when Ann slapped her arm.

"See if I ever cook for you again."

Anne gave the pot one last stir before taking it off the burner. She quickly turned around and pulled Ann against herself and lavished a few kisses against the column of her neck. Ann let out a pleased sigh and reached backwards to cup the back of Anne's head, fingers curling into the short hair. She turned around and wrapped her arms around the back of Anne's neck, bringing her in for a kiss.

After a few moments Anne pulled back, "No getting distracted. This meal had me slaving away in the kitchen for over an hour." She spun around from Ann with a wink and walked back over to the stove in order to plate the risotto she had made.

Ann let out an exaggeratedly displeased sigh and sat down at the beautiful walnut dining table that spanned the length of the floor to ceiling windows of Anne's apartment. "You'd better make it up to me." She said sweetly.

A streaming plate was placed in front of Ann. Anne sat down across from her and trailed her foot up Ann's bare calf, inciting a shiver. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything on the contrary."

 

* * *

 

Mrs. Priestley stared down at the two of them. Although she was considerably shorter, the chair behind desk she was sitting on gave her a good three feet over them. Anne suppressed an eye roll and stood up from the small couch in order to pour herself and Ann glasses of water from the pitcher sitting on a small table in the corner of the office.

She handed a glass to Ann and sat on the arm of the couch, now sitting higher up than Mrs. Priestley. Anne raised her eyebrows at her.

"Right." Mrs. Priestley cleared her throat. Anne took a long sip of her water. "Our production really cannot afford a scandal-"

"I'm sorry to cut in, Mrs. Priestley, but there's nothing going on between Miss Walker and I."

Mrs. Priestley looked taken aback, "What I had walked in on _certainly_ did not seem like nothing."

Ann cleared her throat and both women looked at her. "I understand, Mrs. Priestley what you think you had seen, but Anne really had forgotten her cell phone that night. It slid right out of her trouser pocket. We're really only friends."

Mrs. Priestley looked at Ann with thinly veiled suspicion. "Am I really supposed to believe that?"

"Well, yes." Anne said simply before taking another long drink of her water, all the while holding eye contact with Mrs. Priestley. She put the glass on the large desk in between them with a thunk."Other than the fact that your claims are completely out of line and bordering harassment, you have no proof. Did you see me in her trailer?"

Mrs. Priestley hesitated before shaking her head.

"Acting inappropriately on set?"

Another head shake.

"Well, do you really want to stop us from being friends too, or is that also inordinately scandalous?"

"No- I- no." Mrs. Priestley stuttered out. "But that still doesn't explain why Miss Walker was so out of breath when answering the door-"

"Have you ever tried taking off a corset, Mrs. Priestley?" Anne said tiredly. "I can't imagine it's a very leisurely activity. Especially without help." 

Mrs. Priestley nodded distractedly.

Anne twisted the ring on her index finger and sighed distraughtly. "And just _imagine_ my concern when I had seen the state you had left her in when I returned back onto the set for my phone." She shook her head, "Really, if this type of behavior continues, I'll have to contact my agency, and perhaps even my lawyers-"

"No!" Mrs. Priestley yelped, "No, no- I- that won't be necessary-" She turned to look at Ann in panic. "Miss Walker, I am _so_ sorry for the way I acted- I don't know what came over me-"

Ann smiled at her, "It's alright, Mrs. Priestley, really, I'm sorry, it's just my nerves-"

"Oh, please don't apologize for anything-" She stood up suddenly, startling the two other women. "I'm absolutely horrified by my behavior." She looked at Anne with a pleading desperation in her eyes. "This will never be mentioned again- if there's anything I can do to help Miss Walker with her anxieties-"

"Thank you." Ann said and smiled at Mrs. Priestley.

Anne looked down at her watch unsubtly and stood up, giving Mrs. Priestley a tight smile. "Well, then. If that's all…" She trailed off, raising her eyebrows expectantly at Mrs. Priestley.

"Yes, of course. Thank you for stopping by on your day off." Mrs. Priestley said after a moment and abruptly standing up. She leant over the desk and clasped Ann's hand into her own. Ann allowed her to enthusiastically shake it before extracting it from her sweaty grip. She stood up and bid Mrs. Priestley a quick goodbye before scrambling after Anne.

The elevator doors had barely closed behind them before they began laughing. Ann, clutching at her stomach and bent at the waist, while Anne had to support herself with her arm against the wall. 

"Do you-" Ann choked out in between laughs, "do you think she bought that-"

"Absolutely not." Anne said before falling into another fit of laughter.

 

* * *

 

Ann smiled up at Anne, slowly walking beside her, a good foot between them. She longed to reach out and grab her hand, entwining it in her own, but she knew that doing so would undermine their plan. She swallowed and shoved her hand into her pocket. Mrs. Priestley, at the threat of having lawyers involved would back away from any obvious antagonization but they both knew her watchful eyes would still be taking in every moment. 

Was this even a good idea?

Could their careers ever be revived after facing Mrs. Priestley's ire?

Ann knew that she could recover; her story being a sympathetic one. But Anne? Everyone in the industry knew she was treading on thin ice with her agency, regardless of her talent. 

"Ann?"

She blinked away the thoughts at the sound of Anne's concerned tone of voice.

"Is everything alright?" Anne asked, pausing their movement on the sidewalk. Ann momentarily balked at the question.

"I- yes- I'm just worried Mrs. Priestley will see right through us."

"You've nothing to fret about." Anne said, smiling as she gestured for them to continue walking. "I'll handle anything thrown our way."

"That's what I'm worried about." She said quietly. Anne looked at her with surprise, face quickly forming into a softer expression. 

"That's-" Anne cleared her throat, "Well, then." She licked her lips in a way that could almost pass off as nervously. She looked away from Ann. "We're here."

"What? Where are we?" Ann looked around, not even realizing they were walking with a specific location in mind. The only thing surrounding them were old closed off commercial buildings and a few apartment blocks further down the street. She looked at Anne in question, who just grinned at her and offered her hand. Ann took it and was immediately led to a chained storefront.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Ann laughed as Anne unlocked the padlock and the lock on the door.

"Don't be ridiculous," Anne said, looking back to wink at Ann, "I like you far too much to even consider that. Mariana, on the other hand…"

Ann let out an amused laugh but quickly cut it off with a surprised gasp. Inside, what seemed to be an old bookstore was lit up with various small lights. The beautifully dark woods of the bookshelves shimmered from the finish that coated them, stuffed to the brim with old books Ann had never even seen before. She ran a hand across the spines of a row that sat on the shelf nearest to her. 

"What- is this place?" Ann asked, wonder coloring her voice as she turned to look at Anne.

Anne smiled and swept her hand across a table, rubbing her fingers together to rid herself of the dust she had just accumulated. "Well, it's a bookstore."

Ann snorted, "I could see that. I mean, how did you know it existed?"

"Mm," Anne tapped her hand on the table, ring on her index finger making a loud sound against the wood, "I found the deeds in my family lockbox when I went to my bank to review my contract the other day."

"Really?"

"Well- I hadn't looked into the older properties in quite a while and, to my surprise, I had accidentally overlooked the deeds to this one. A small sliver of paper. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the condition remained this excellent, despite absolutely no upkeep."

Anne walked along the perimeter of the room, eyes perusing the spines of the books before stopping in front of a large one behind the counter of the store. With a little difficulty she pried it from the overstuffed shelf. Ann walked over when she was motioned over. Large yellowed pages, holding even more dust were pushed to one side as Anne pointed to the words calligraphed on the front page.

**_Lister Bookshop Records, 1839_ **

"Good Lord." Ann breathed out, fingers skimming across the letters. She looked up at Anne, "Does anyone else know about this?"

"No. I don't think so." She glanced back at the page in front of them. "They closed up shop a year later. 1840. No one's stepped inside since. Well- except us. I'd like to find out why." 

Ann hummed thoughtfully. 

"I also wanted to bring you here- to look around with me." Anne paused in thought before carefully continuing, "I know we can't exactly go on normal dates, for risk of our contracts, but-"

"Anne." She cut in, "This is incredible."

Anne smiled and Ann felt her heart leap in her chest at the sight. "It's not very conventional, but neither am I, I suppose."

"No, but that's why I like you." Ann said, leaning forward to kiss Anne. She was met halfway by the thoroughly delighted woman.

Anne hummed against her lips and pulled back after a moment. "I also stumbled upon a box of beautiful oil paints and art supplies in the storage area- I've seen the paintings in your apartment, and you've really got a gift for it-"

Ann cut her off with another kiss, to which Anne responded with cupping her face in order to draw her in closer. She leaned her forehead against Ann's, "So I wasn't off the mark? Bringing you here?"

"It's perfect. Well- I haven't got many other dates to compare it to but…" She trailed off and smiled at Anne, "It's perfect."

Anne let out an exaggerated sound of relief. "And here I thought I lost my touch."

"Oh, anything but." 

 

* * *

 

**Could Ann Walker Be In A Relationship? New Instagram Post Leaves Us With The Burning Question: Who Took That Picture?**

_Britain's sweetheart, Ann Walker might be getting a little love, sources tell us. You've seen the picture, I've seen the picture, we've all seen the picture. And if you haven't, it's really something. Walker, artistically framed slightly off center, is softly smiling up at the camera. Cheeks lightly blushing. Eyelashes presumably fluttering._

_Lips pink and swollen?_

_But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Where was she? No one has the answer, but the backdrop lends us to believe that she is among a great deal of antique books. A clue, dear readers! If you're an Ann Walker fan (and most of us are quite honestly) you would know about her upcoming project: a beautiful twist on the Jane Austen classic, Pride & Prejudice. Walker, who had been somewhat elusive in the past year and a half since the tragedy that struck her family, was cast as Elizabeth Bennet with Anne Lister as the dashing Darcy. _

_Did you catch the twist?_

_You must be asking yourself, where are we going with this? Why did I click on this link? When is Ann Walker going to marry me? Well, here are the answers to all of your burning questions. After an extensive amount of research on our parts (you're welcome), we've found that Thomas Ainsworth, funnily enough playing a much more handsome Mr. Collins in the reboot, has an extensive antique book collection in his London home. Now about that marriage… perhaps Ann Walker will actually accept Thomas Ainsworth as her husband in real life, because she clearly can't onscreen._

_But I'll just be over here fanning myself every time the absolutely debonair Miss Darcy broods on my television screen while we wait for the couple's imminent announcement._

_Anne Lister? If you're reading this, call me._

 

* * *

 

"Thomas Ainsworth? _Really?"_

Anne groaned at the sound of Mariana's voice. "What are you talking about." She said tiredly, adjusting her collar absentmindedly.

"Oh, you haven't heard." Mariana said lowly and clicked her tongue, "I honestly don't understand what she sees in him, but to each their own."

"Mariana, can you please just be straightforward for once."

Mariana handed her phone with a shake of her head and watched with evident glee when Anne's eyebrows shot up as she read the article. She rolled her eyes and handed the phone back.

"Why exactly did you make me read that garbage?" 

"I just thought you'd like to know that the woman you've had your eye on is regretfully," Mariana sighed and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye, "taken by another." She inclined her head in the direction of where Ann was smiling at Ainsworth. Anne's jaw clenched when he touched her arm for the second time since she'd looked over.

"Oh, yes, a marriage is truly on their horizon." Anne said gruffly. "I really wish you put this much energy into your acting instead, we're all really suffering for it."

Mariana clicked her tongue again, "If you really want to take your frustration out on me, I can think of _much_ more enjoyable ways."

"God- how long has this break been going. No wonder we're behind schedule." Anne said with annoyance, signalling to Mr. Priestley to hurry it up. She watched with satisfaction when his eyes widened and he motioned for everyone to go back to their marks. Someone yelled action and the camera focused in on Ainsworth and Ann as the chattering from Bingley's party resumed. 

"I have found out," Ainsworth as Mr. Collins said gleefully, "that there is now in the room a near relation of my patroness. I happened to overhear the lady herself mentioning to the young lady who does the honors of this house the names of her cousin Miss de Bourgh, and of her mother Lady Catherine."

A camera focused on Ann's face which morphed into disbelief, for she knew he was about to embarrass himself in the next moments.

"Who would have thought of my meeting with, perhaps, a niece of Lady Catherine de Bourgh in this assembly! I am most thankful that the discovery is made in time for me to pay my respects to her, which I am now going to do, and trust she will excuse my not having done it before. My total ignorance of the connection must plead my apology." 

"You are _not_ going to introduce yourself to Miss Darcy!" She exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes. "Indeed I am. I shall entreat her pardon for not having done it earlier. I believe her to be Lady Catherine's _niece_. It will be in my power to assure her that her ladyship is quite well."

And although she tried to dissuade him, tell him that Darcy would see an addressing without introduction as a slight rather than a compliment, Collins shook his head dismissing the very idea. 

"My dear Elizabeth," He said as he put his hand on her shoulder, which she immediately shrugged away. "I have the highest opinion in the world of your excellent judgement in all matters within the scope of your understanding; but permit me to say, that there must be a wide difference between the established forms of ceremony amongst the laity, and those which regulate the clergy." He nodded to himself, sure of his sudden high rank due to his position in the church and approached Darcy, ignoring Elizabeth's protests.

The cameras, captured the exchange from afar, the only thing in focus was Darcy's expression. Beginning with a restrained confusion at the fact that Collins had approached her and began speaking without any sort of introduction. She replied after a moment, trying to remain civil and restained, and her expression conveyed just as much.

But, rather than end the conversation there, Mr. Collins decided to continue. People surrounding the odd pair froze as Darcy's face began contorting into one holding only contempt for the man in front of her.

And if those emotions were easier to call to the surface due to some trashy article and a man who had no concept of boundaries, then Anne wasn't one to complain. 

When Collins finished with his speech, Darcy barely looked at him before moving on to someone else. Collins returned to Elizabeth, completely oblivious.

"I have no reason to be dissatisfied with my reception." He said pleasantly, "She answered me with the utmost civility. Upon the whole, I am very much pleased."

The camera's cut and they finished their shoots for the day. Ann tried to quietly edge away from Ainsworth before he could direct his attention towards her once again.

"I don't really see what's bad about Mr. Collins." He said, tilting his head to the side at her. Ann restrained herself from wincing at the sound of his voice so near to her.

"Well-"

"Mr. Ainsworth." Anne smoothly cut in before she could respond, thankfully. "I hear you have a very extensive collection of antique books."

He looked at her with surprise. "Oh, yes! Did you read that in one of the articles written about me?"

"No." Anne said flatly and Ann held back a laugh at his put off expression.

"Oh. Well, yes. Why do you ask?" Ainsworth asked before taking a sip from water bottle a crew member handed him. 

"I was wondering if you knew an expert who could appraise a few I found downtown." Anne said.

"Well," He said, winking at Ann, "you ought to ask this one here. She clearly has a keen eye for valuable books."

Anne cocked her head at the man and narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I'm neither confirming _nor_ denying anything permissing a certain picture, but Miss Walker has very good taste when it comes to antique books."

The two women exchanged a look. Ann had to suppress laughing out loud at the ridiculous claim.

"Mm." Anne said after a stunned moment of silence. "Well thank you for absolutely nothing, Mr. Ainsworth."

"I'm kidding! Or maybe not. Let me write down my appraiser's contact information." He said as he pulled out a pen and business card from his back pocket. He scribbled down something illegibly and handed it to Anne. Anne hesitantly took it with her index and thumb.

"Thank you." Her sarcasm was completely lost on the man as her grinned and walked away from the two of them. She glanced at Ann. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Ann let out a sigh of relief, "Thought you'd never ask." She laughed when Anne dropped the business card Ainsworth had scrawled over into the garbage can on their way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ainsworth as collins was *anne lister voice* too easy... i want to utterly ridicule him don't worry... 
> 
> let me know what you think so far! the plot is progressing! gossip articles are being written! love is in the air!


	10. those who do not complain are never pitied

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took a bit longer to update! i didn't have access to my computer until now! but all is well. comments are always very welcome and on an unrelated note please don't kill me. here's a link to my [ ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/fujifilms) instead :)

They've began taking their lunch in the bookstore. Somehow, luckily, it was only a ten minute walk from the set they'd been filming on. Anne wasn't sure when it began to happen but by the end of the week it was ritual. Unspoken, but carved into their daily routines. Maybe it started off with her venturing off alone during this time in order to begin sorting through the store's inventory. (Anne never ate during the lunch hour, more important things to do.) 

Maybe Ann noticed her disappearance, deciding one day to stick close to Anne and, in turn, receiving an invitation to come with her to the bookstore.

Ann, of course, did need to eat lunch so she found herself eating as she sat cross legged on a chaise settee covered with a white sheet. Every lunch hour she watched Anne pace to and fro throughout the store as she took inventory of the books. Took in her profile as the light filtering through the gaps in the boarded up windows lit up the side of her face with a warm appealing light. Traced her strong brow, down the noble slope of her nose, and lingered on her lips.

Not that Anne noticed much apart from the exciting books surrounding them, writing each discovery into a notebook as she took inventory.

Not that Ann minded the attention directed elsewhere for once, finally able to study Anne without feeling self conscious about it. She felt incredibly fortunate to be able to exist in the same space as Anne, to be able to share these private moments with the elusive woman. Have open conversations, experience certain emotions anew, feel as though she had nothing to hide.

"A first edition of Frankenstein! Ann, darling!" Her voice startled Ann from her reverie.

"Really?" Ann asked, dropping her fork into the plastic tupperware salad container. She had barely made a dent into her meal, Ann realized as she looked down at the forlorn looking salad container on her lap. 

Anne excitedly held up a stack of books in order to show her the titles. "Six copies!" 

"You're kidding." Ann found herself laughing incredulously in response.

Anne got onto her knees on the floor in front of Ann and handed her a copy. "Printed the same year as publication." She said eagerly pointing to the year on one of the front pages. "1818."

"Good Lord." Ann breathed out. She looked back at Anne. "And you said you found six copies?"

"Yes- in a sealed box in the inventory room where I found those art supplies for you." 

Ann put her hand on Anne's cheek. "Incredible." 

"Mm. I'll have to bring them over to the appraiser Marian told me about." Anne said, cupping the hand on her cheek and gently sweeping her thumb across the surface of Ann's wrist.

"How exactly does Marian know an antique book appraiser?" 

"He stopped by her coffee shop. Apparently a very attractive fellow- but I wouldn't trust her word, her taste is really quite terrible."

"Anne- really no offense, but you wouldn't be able to tell an attractive man from a well trained dog."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I could. I actually like the company of dogs, for one."

Ann let out an incredulous laugh and rolled her eyes with amusement. "Terrible. That was terrible."

Anne hummed and checked her wristwatch. "We've got twenty minutes before we should head back to the set." Her grin widened at the words as she looked up at Ann.

"Enough time to finish my lunch then..." She trailed off when Anne took the container from her lap and set it on the floor. The pile of first editions were placed onto a small table to the side of the settee. "What-"

"I had another idea in order to pass the time." Anne said lowly and smoothed her hand against the surface of Ann's thigh. 

"As much-" Ann shivered lightly when the hand trailed upwards slightly, "As much as I'd love to- I really should eat-"

"As should I." Anne said with a grin and leaned downwards in order to press a kiss to the palm of her hand. 

Ann let out a noise of surprise when Anne slowly unzipped the fly of her jeans and flicked open the button. _"Anne-"_ She gasped and lifted her hips in order to help Anne release her from the article of clothing. Her sneakers were deftly removed and she gasped when Anne pressed heated kisses up her legs, starting at her ankle. "God- Please-"

"Hmm?" Anne's breath against the bare skin of her inner thigh incited another shiver from Ann. 

Another groan from Ann, this time frustrated, filled the small space of the bookstore. "Don't make me say it." Ann dragged her fingers through the back of Anne's hair. 

"Maybe I want to hear you say it," Her voice dropped an octave, _"Miss Walker."_

"Lord- just- I-" Ann looked away with embarrassment, blush making itself known on her cheeks. "Please." She said helplessly after a moment.

Anne made a sound of disapproval, "You haven't had trouble articulating yourself before. Tell me what you want."

"Just-" Ann's head dropped backwards in frustration. "Those times were different."

"Different how?" Anne asked, tilting her head slightly.

"It was the heat of the moment." She said, avoiding eye contact.

Anne hummed with amusement. "And what if I told you I wouldn't do anything-" She lifted her hands from Ann's thighs, and sat back, "until you told me exactly what to do."

"What?" Ann's eyes snapped away from the bookshelves and back onto the other woman. Her face flushed an even deeper red. "that's- oh Lord-"

"You've no problem telling me _in the heat of the moment,_ but I want to hear what you want right now. Before we've started." Anne leaned in closer, lips so close they almost grazed Ann's, "What do you want, Ann?" She pulled back slightly when Ann swayed closer in order to close the distance. "Tell me what to do."

Ann swallowed dryly and spoke after a few tense moments. "Touch me."

"Where?"

"Back where you were touching me before."

Anne placed her hands on Ann's thighs. "Here?" Her thumbs soothed back and forth in a sweeping motion on the skin of her thigh, right above her knee.

"Higher."

Her hands barely moved upwards.

Ann looked at her without amusement and Anne had to stifle a grin at her frustration.

"Anne." She said, her voice stern. Anne shivered lightly at the change in tone. "Higher."

Anne skimmed her hands up her thighs and stopped when her thumbs brushed the edge of her underwear. "Here?"

Her eyes fluttered at the feeling of Anne's cool hands on her, fingers barely putting pressure on her. Goosebumps erupted at the feeling. Ann swallowed again, voice coming out rougher than Anne had ever heard it before, "Higher." She watched as Anne's pupils dilated with arousal before she brought her right hand and cupped between Ann's thighs. She could feel the incredible amount of heat radiating even through the layer of fabric between them.

Ann gasped at the sensation, hips jerking upwards at the contact, somehow, inexplicably already close at the brief contact.

"Here?" Anne's whispered lowly, fingers pressing deliberately in order to incite another reaction.

 _"Yes-"_ Ann hissed, clamping a hand atop Anne's and pressing down harder. Anne found herself letting out a noise of surprise.

"We might-" Anne's voice was broken off when she was suddenly being kissed, she pulled back, "We might need to notify the crew that we'll be a bit late-"

"No. Keep your hands on me." Ann cut her off and then froze when she realized how demanding she sounded in that moment.

Anne found herself grinning and leaned in for another kiss. "Well, then. I suppose I'm not stopping."

 

* * *

 

Mrs. Priestley stopped them before they made it onto the set.

An hour late.

"Where the _hell_ have you two been?" She asked, eyes narrowing to an almost comical point. Anne withheld laughter for fear of inciting even more rage from the woman. "I've chosen to put my trust in the two of you. Do _not_ make me regret that decision."

"Really, Mrs. Priestley, we deeply apologize for the delay- my sister- Marian was having some serious relationship issues. I couldn't just leave her in the state she was in. Miss Walker was absolutely indispensable with her assistance."

"Really?" She said flatly.

Ann tried to hide her rush of panic at Mrs. Priestley's unconvinced tone of voice.

"Yes." Anne sighed despondently, "Marian's fiance broke off their engagement."

Mrs. Priestley hummed with sympathy and then fixed Anne with an unimpressed stare. "Don't be late again. I mean it."

Ann nodded quickly and rushed onto the set, Anne staying back to continue speaking to Mrs. Priestley. 

Today was the shoot Ann had been dreading. Mr. Collin's proposal. Perhaps it was deliberate, the way she had drawn out her time with Anne in the bookstore. The sight of Thomas Ainsworth smiling at her brightly as she entered the set had her heart completely plummet into her stomach. 

"Ann! I was wondering where you were!" He said, making his way over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and massaged lightly. Ann had to stop herself from jerking away at the contact. 

"Lunch ran late." She said and slowly extracted herself from his touch. 

"Hmm. Absolutely awful when that happens. Waitresses these days, honestly." He said, shaking his head. But after a moment, he brightened considerably. "I wanted to ask you something."

Ann tiredly sat down on a seat at the edge of the set and sighed, "What is it, Mr. Ainsworth."

"Call me Thomas- please."

She held back another wince and glanced around the set. Out the window she could see Anne and Mrs. Priestley still having some sort of discussion, Anne gesturing wildly and Mrs. Priestley looking less and less put off by the other woman.

Maybe she was warming up to her once more.

Ainsworth cleared his throat. Ann continued to leaf through her script and read over her lines. He cleared his throat louder.

She sighed and dropped her script down onto her lap with a loud rustling sound. "Yes?"

He smiled serenely, unaware of her increasing irritation with him. "After the shoot- this scene, of course, if you don't have any other plans, which I don't think you will because you're not seeing anyone to my knowledge-"

"What are you trying to say, Mr. Ainsworth?"

Ainsworth froze for a moment, as if shocked that Ann would interrupt him, but continued, "I, well, would you like to get dinner? With me?"

Ann could feel her jaw drop open and she looked around their surroundings wildly. Asking her such a question where anyone could hear? Her eyes found Anne, still outside talking to Mrs. Priestley. 

"Well?"

She looked back at Ainsworth, at one point taking advantage of her confusion and putting his hand on the back of her seat in order to lean in closer. His breath hit her cheek in an entirely unpleasant way. This time she didn't hold back the shudder that took over her body.

"We- I- Our contracts." Ann tried weakly as an excuse. "A clause barring relationships."

Ainsworth inexplicably leaned in closer and nodded sympathetically. "That's why I negotiated for the removal of mine before filming started. I saw we'd be working together and, well, I couldn't help myself."

Ann scrambled to stand up and move away from him. "What- what about Mrs. Priestley- She's always been against castmates having relationships-"

"I actually spoke to her about this."

"You did?" Ann croaked.

Ainsworth hummed and stepped forward, Ann too shocked to move away from him. He put his hand on her cheek. "She thought it'd be a splendid idea."

"What?" Ann's voice barely audible at this point. She glanced at the window and saw Mrs. Priestley subtly smiling at her before turning back to continue speaking to Anne.

"I brought up the subject the other day when she invited me for tea at her office. Mrs. Priestley really thought it'd be good publicity for the show. Also considering that I won't be having many scenes after this one, she didn't think a relationship would be much of a distraction." He furrowed his brows and let out a disappointed noise, "I knew I messed something up, I was supposed to ask you after the shoot."

Ann smiled weakly in response but was saved by the bell on set for filming to start before she could even begin to formulate an answer. Ainsworth looked at her intently and then turned to sit at the dining room table, directly across from where she was supposed to be sitting. 

She immediately felt sick at the thought of acting with him after the offer he had just proposed. 

And Mrs. Priestley. They had thought they'd been let off easily by her but yet here Ann was, being punished in the worst way imaginable. 

She could still feel the insistent grip of his hand on her shoulder. Ann absentmindedly looked back out the window and caught Anne's eye, smiling feebly when she winked at her before turning back to speak to Mrs. Priestley.

Ann let out a shallow breath. She shakily wiped at the sweat forming on her hairline and slowly walked over to the dining table, smoothing her dress before sitting down across from Ainsworth. He grinned at her and the acid in her stomach rose up to her throat.

Action was called.

Ann had just noticed that the rest of the cast playing her family was sitting around the table as well. At once everyone began cutting at the food in front of them and passing dishes around.

Ainsworth at Mr. Collins cleared his throat and looked at Mrs. Bennet with a smile. "May I hope, madam, for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth, when I solicit for the honor of a private audience with her in the course of the morning?"

Mrs. Bennet answered immediately and enthusiastically. Ann almost startled at the sound of the actress playing her mother. "Oh dear- yes! Certainly! I am sure Lizzy will be very happy- I am sure she can have no objection. Come Kitty, I want you upstairs." 

She noisily began to gather the other girls at the table in order to give Mr. Collins and Elizabeth privacy but after a few moments the set went silent. Ann looked up to see everyone's eyes trained on her. 

She missed her cue. 

"Oh- God- I'm sorry-"

"Are you alright, Miss Walker?" The actress for Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth Cordingly said worriedly. "You look a bit pale-"

"No, no- I'm- I'm alright- sorry." Ann said nervously. "I think I just ate something that went bad for lunch." She licked her lips and shook her head. "Let's do it again- I'm sorry."

Mrs. Cordingly looked at her cautiously. "If you're feeling under the weather, perhaps we should postpone the shoot until tomorrow-"

"No. I'm- I'm alright." Ann tried again, knowing Mrs. Cordingly wouldn't be convinced.

She looked at Ann with suspicion but found herself nodding anyways. When she took her mark, the other actresses did as well. The camera's began rolling once more.

Ann barely just caught her cue when it came. She avoided eye contact with Mrs. Cordingly, for she knew it was apparent to the other woman.  "Dear madam, do not go. I _beg_ you not to go. Mr. Collins-" He voice broke off slightly, "must excuse me. He- he can have nothing to say to me that anybody need not hear. I am going away myself." Ann wished she had the resolve of her character. The situation she still had to address after the shoot brought another pang of nervousness throughout her system. She let out a shaky breath.

"No, no, nonsense, Lizzy. I desire you will stay where you are." Mrs. Bennet said, nodding to herself. She sighed when she saw her daughter's vexed expression of shock and nervousness. "Lizzy, I _insist_ upon your staying and hearing Mr. Collins."

She nodded helplessly when Mrs. Bennet gathered the rest of her family and began to take them outside the room. Ann shot up out of her seat with the intent to sit back down in it dejected, worryingly found her vision turning spotty before even processing that she had collapsed.

 

* * *

 

Ann woke to the sound of a heated argument, muffled by the door of her trailer.

Her trailer? 

She looked at her surroundings groggily, trying to see past the usual cloudiness of her eyesight when she woke up from a long sleep. What had happened? A fan slowly turning, circulating the stale air in the room caught her attention. The very same one that sat in the corner of Anne's. 

Ann licked her dry lips nervously and flinched when the voices outside raised considerably. She strained to decipher who it was creating such a loud ruckus. Within moments the arguing stopped and familiar stomping footsteps made their way down the metal stairs and across the lot.

 _Anne_.

But why was she leaving? 

Seconds later Mrs. Priestley slowly opened the door. She smiled at Ann apologetically. "I'm sorry, did we wake you?"

"Was that- was that Anne?"

Mrs. Priestley's mouth snapped shut and she closed the door behind her a bit roughly. "Yes. She's retrieving some tea for you."

"Oh. Why didn't she come in earlier?" Ann found herself asking, sitting up slightly and wincing when her head throbbed with pain.

Mrs. Priestley rushed to her side. "No, no, lie down Miss Walker. You took a nasty fall while filming."

"I- what?"

"You mentioned something about eating something bad? Perhaps it made you ill." She said, pulling a footrest up in order to sit by Ann. She handed her a bottle of water and aspirin. "This should help with the pain in your head. Didn't hit it, but losing consciousness never helps with headaches."

"Right." Ann said and took the proffered tablets and bottle of water. She took a sip before swallowing down the aspirin.

Mrs. Priestley daintily cleared her throat. "I want to, well, I wanted to speak to you about something."

"What is it?" Ann asked before taking another drink of her water.

"Mr. Ainsworth. He offered to take you out for dinner. I think you should accept."

Ann promptly choked on the water. Spluttering and waving Mrs. Priestley away so that she could recover without feeling suffocated by the woman. She barely composed herself before wheezing out, "Why?"

Mrs. Priestley looked taken aback. "Well, I think it'd do you good. I talked to a few of your aunts yesterday at lunch- which, as you know, we take together once a month, and they agreed that Mr. Ainsworth would be a wonderful match. Something to take your mind off of…" She trailed off and then made eye contact with Ann, gaze a bit too intent, " _certain stresses."_

"I-" Ann tried to sit up again but clutched at her head in pain. She paused, trying to regain her bearings. "I don't-"

"Miss Lister can ruin your career." Mrs. Priestley said, brushing her hands against the cloth of her dress. She didn't make eye contact with Ann. "I didn't want to outright say it, but now I see I've got no other choice. She will ruin you, Miss Walker. All the other women she's seen before? Tossed out like yesterday's garbage. Is it worth it?"

Ann gaped at Mrs. Priestley, mouth opening and closing at the words that were just uttered. 

"I don't want to do this- I have information about her, you know. About the women she's seen, which husbands she's slighted. Our production can survive with one actress under scrutiny. But two? Absolutely not." Mrs. Priestley let out a labored breath. "Miss Walker, please do what is best for yourself."

Before Ann could even begin to respond, the trailer door opened with a flourish.

Anne, still dressed in her Darcy garb, filled the entire doorway. Shoulders stiff and back rod straight as her stormy eyes all but glared at Mrs. Priestly. In her hand was a small disposable cup of tea, slightly crushed under her grip. Ann watched as a small stream of hot water spilled from the top and ran down onto Anne's hand. Not even a flinch came from the other woman as she stood there.

"Mrs. Priestley." She said lowly, inclining her head in an almost mocking manner. Mrs. Priestley grimaced in response.

"Miss Lister." She stood up and brushed her hands against her dress again. "I see you've found some tea."

"Yes."

The air between the two of them was tense. What had they been arguing about before Ann had fully regained consciousness? 

Anne's eyes found her own after a moment and the steely look in her eyes softened considerably. "Would you like some tea?" She asked softly. Ann found herself nodding without even fully taking in what Anne had asked her.

Mrs. Priestley let out a small scoffing sound and looked back at Ann. "I implore you to closely consider your options."

Ann swallowed and looked away from Mrs. Priestley's stony gaze and Anne's questioning one. Mrs. Priestley nodded to herself before walking out of the trailer, leaving the two women alone.

"What was she talking about?" Anne asked with confusion, sitting on the small footstool Mrs. Priestley had just been occupying beside Ann. She handed Ann the tea.

Ann took a drink, ignoring the way the hot water burnt her tongue and continued to avoid eye contact with Anne.

"Ann? Darling?" Her hand smoothed against the surface of her shoulder to which Ann reacted with a flinch. Anne blinked before putting her hand down. "What did she tell you?"

"I- I can't- I don't-" Ann felt the panic in herself rising at the thought of relaying any of the information to Anne.

"Ann, how can I help-" She looked at her pleadingly. Her hands wringing with a sudden bout of nerves. 

"I can't- tell you-" Ann clenched her eyes shut, trying to block out the look of absolute despondency on Anne's face. "Everything is fine."

Anne stood up suddenly, a towering figure in Ann's line of sight. "This doesn't sound like nothing. What did she tell you?" Her voice bordered on pleading towards the end of her question. She paced over to the other side of the room, as if trying to put distance between the two of them. 

She was expecting the worst. 

Ann felt sick to her stomach. She swallowed roughly and looked away. "She didn't tell me anything."

Anne clenched her jaw and stood stiffly by the counter. She felt as if she had been submerged into ice water. "Why won't you tell me what's wrong, Ann?" She tried weakly. She let out a shaky breath when Ann made no move to look at her. 

"Nothing happened." Ann said weakly. "It was a private conversation."

"Nothing," Anne let out a breath, "happened?"

"No."

Anne turned away for a moment in order to compose herself, fingers clenching against the countertop. Her knuckles white with the force. She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Well, I can see when I'm not needed."

"Anne-" Ann tried helplessly, looking at her tense form across the room. She ached to reach out.

"No, I-" She shook her head, "I need to go." Anne strode to the door and quickly made her way out, leaving Ann alone with the quickly fading sound of her footfalls. 

Ann brought a shaky hand up ran it across her face, surprised when the palm of her hand came away wet with tears.

 

* * *

 

**Ann Walker and Thomas Ainsworth: Newest Power Couple on the Block?**

_A shared love for antique books, check. Taking part in an Austen retelling, check. Asking each other on cute dates in between takes, check, check, check!_

_Isn't young love beautiful? Especially in the form of Ann Walker and Thomas Ainsworth on the set of BBC's Pride & Prejudice series. We've got insiders, absolutely top secret insiders. Insiders that tell us of his inability to keep his eyes (and hands) off of her. You can see she feels the same way in the coquettish way she smiles at him when he says something especially witty. _

_Our hearts yearn for a love like this. A romantic dinner date proposed right before an onscreen marriage proposal! How absolutely ridiculous is that. I'm dropping Darcy in favor for this iteration of Mr. Collins. Maybe he's a little foolish sometimes but that earnestness! I'm swooning, dear readers. And no wonder Ann Walker has been reportedly fainting onset at the sight of him!_

_But beggars can't be can't be choosers! And if the strapping Anne Lister diverts her attention this way, then who am I to complain?_

 

* * *

 

Anne roughly turned off her phone, tossing it onto the couch of her living room with disgust. She hadn't been alone with Ann in over a week and now there were countless articles about some sort of potential relationship between Ann and that ridiculous man. 

Ainsworth stuck to Ann like glue during filming hours. No wonder everyone believed Ann and Ainsworth were in some kind of relationship. The idiot barely kept his hands off of her. And on the rare occasion he wasn't in sight, Mrs. Priestley took his place at Ann's side. As if they were taking shifts.

And Anne didn't particularly want either of them overhearing what she wanted to speak to Ann about.

Their relationship, or lack thereof at the moment.

She rubbed a frustrated hand across her face. Ann wasn't answering her phone calls either. Something was amiss and Anne was going to get to the bottom of it. She sighed when she heard her sister's telltale soft knock at the door.

Anne ran her hand through her hair distractedly and stood up to answer the door. "Marian." She said, leaning on the open door. "Did calling me first just simply escape your mind?"

Marian looked at her unamusedly. "I wanted to make sure you weren't brooding. I read some concerning things on the magazine rack in the checkout line."

Anne scoffed and moved slightly aside, gesturing for Marian to come in. Her hands flexed against the doorknob painfully. "Did you now?" She said lightly and closed the door behind her. "Didn't I tell you to stop believing everything the Daily Mail slaps on their front page?"

"Am I not allowed to show concern for you?" Marian scoffed, sitting down on Anne's couch after a moment of tense silence.

"Everything is _fine,_ Marian." Anne said tersely and sat on the loveseat opposite her sister. She ignored Marian's look of incredulity. 

"So Ann Walker ditching you for Thomas Ainsworth in the span of a week is completely fine?" Marian asked, raising her eyebrows at Anne when she immediately bristled at the question.

Anne clenched her jaw. "Yes."

"Anne-" Marian tried sympathetically.

 _"No-"_ Anne said but then deflated slightly, "No- I- I'm fine." She rubbed her fingers against her brow, annoyed with the pain building in her head. 

"Why don't we go out to get some dinner. I know you'll deny it, but I can tell when you're trying to hole yourself up." Marian said 

Anne blew out an exasperated breath. "Alright, but on the condition that you don't bring this subject up again. Not enough aspirin in the world." She muttered, standing up to retrieve her jacket.

 

* * *

 

"You couldn't pick a night with less rain?" Anne said with annoyance when she stepped into a puddle, completely soaking her shoe. "I hope you didn't choose something upscale, my squelching sock would absolutely ruin the atmosphere."

Marian smacked her arm. "Just because you're upset doesn't mean you can take it out on me." She took a breath and then started speaking in a posh accent, voice lowered considerably, _"Thank you for taking me out Marian! What a lovely restaurant, Marian, how ever did you get reservations?"_

"Let's just leave the acting too me." Anne said, trying to hold back a laugh at Marian's ridiculous attempt at an impression of her. "Which restaurant did you get reservations to anyways?" She grimaced when Marian's tread splashed water onto her trousers.

"Some Danish restaurant- don't expect me to know how to pronounce it. The owner dropped by Shibden a couple of weeks ago." 

"My, my, so many connections, Marian. Was he more or less handsome than that book appraiser Thomas Beech?"

"I'm not dignifying that question with an answer. All I'll say is that I'm a newly single woman, Anne. Free as a bird."

Anne sighed and shook her head. She took in the empty streets, people apparently too afraid of getting wet to fill them in the usual way Saturday nights afforded. The lamps lining the street glistened warmly on the layer of streaming water that covered the pavement. And although Marian irritated her to no end, Anne was glad that she had pulled her out of her apartment. 

The wind picked up a bit and their pace quickened, trying to make it to their destination before one of their umbrellas got ripped from their hands. Anne could already see Marian's umbrella straining to turn inside out. 

"Not much further." Marian said, pointing to the small red brick restaurant a short distance away. She ushered Anne underneath the awning in front of the small restaurant and they shook off their umbrellas before folding them. Anne could already feel an unpleasant chill rising up her spine from her soaked clothing. She glanced at the hand painted sign on the window.

_De Største Fisk._

Anne wished Marian had actually tried to say the name of the place, she always managed to butcher names into unrecognizability. She opened the door and held it open for her sister. "Did your boy toy give any recommendations?"

Marian sharply jabbed Anne's side with her elbow. "Shut _up."_ She hissed, and then smiled widely when a man came over to greet them.

"Miss Marian Lister!" He exclaimed with a heavily accented voice. Anne eyed his large sideburns with distrust but received another elbow jab, this time a bit more subtle. The man turned to Anne and reached out to shake her hand. She blinked with surprise when she realized she knew him.

"Anne, this is Mr. Caspar De Hangge- Hahge- De Ha-"

Anne took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Mr. De Hagemann, always a pleasure. I had no idea you were in the restaurateur business." 

Mr. De Hagemann inclined his head in greeting and smiled at her. "Miss Anne Lister. I was wondering when you'd drop by with your sister. We expanded our new restaurant from Copenhagen. My wife and I decided to give London a try."

From her periphery, Anne could see Marian deflating at the mention of a wife, to which Anne stomped on her foot while Mr. De Hagemann turned to address a waiter. Marian muffled her sound of pain with a fist, shooting Anne another glare. 

"Nic here will take you to your table." He said turning back to them and gesturing to the waiter beside him. "Harriet would love to have you over again, Miss Lister- we just got an apartment down the street." Mr. De Hagemann smiled at Anne.

"That's lovely. And of course, just give me a date and I'll be there."

He clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! So much fame under this roof in one night. All the fish is fresh, we get shipments every afternoon." And with that he turned to address something at the other side of the restaurant.

Nic led the way to their table. "What was that about fame, Anne-" Marian groaned and pushed Anne's hand down to keep her from checking the screen again. "We're here to get your mind off of her- remember?" 

"That'll be a bit hard." Anne said weakly. Marian spun around to look at her, mouth opening at the sight of Anne standing frozen in between two tables. She was staring straight ahead at something in the corner of the restaurant. "I see what Caspar meant by _so much fame_ now." 

Marian turned to look at where Anne was directing her attention too. She barely managed to hold in a large gasp when she saw Ann Walker and Thomas Ainsworth sat together at a small table. Within seconds, Anne grabbed her arm and marched them over to where their waiter was standing nervously by their table. 

"Don't say anything." Anne whispered lowly. She gripped Marian's arm a bit harder, "And stop turning around!"

Marian pried her arm away from Anne and sat down with her back to Ann and Ainsworth with a huff. Anne quietly sat down across from her and crouched over a bit.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marian whispered.

"I'm using you as a human shield, what else?" Anne said, sighing. She put her face in her hands for a moment and then looked over Marian's shoulder. "I'm living in a nightmare."

Marian rolled her eyes and opened her menu. Her eyes glazed over a bit at the Danish names for each dish. "Didn't realize the whole menu was fish." 

"What did you expect from a restaurant called 'The Biggest Fish'?" Anne said, eyes still trained on Ann's profile. She winced slightly when she watched a small smile grace her face at something the waiter said. The soft lighting of the restaurant gave her an almost unearthly glow, hair pinned up and glinting in the candlelight. Anne's heart clenched at the sight.

Marian snapped in Anne's face. "Are you even listening?"

Anne tore her eyes away from Ann. "What?"

"I _asked_ if this-" She pointed to a word on the page of her menu, "just meant herring. It pops up a lot and the picture-" She squinted at the grainy photograph on the page, "It looks like a herring."

"Hmm? Yes." Anne said and flipped through her menu absentmindedly. She sighed and rubbed at her brow again.

"Anne, we can leave if you want-"

"I'm fine." She said tersely. Anne looked up at the other table again and froze when she saw Ann's gaze trained onto her. She watched Ann's eyes widen with surprise and a blush rise up her neck. Anne swallowed and broke their eye contact, looking away before she had to witness Ann doing so. 


End file.
